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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




Section of the Male Pelvis. 



THE 



Male Generative Organs, 

IN HEALTH AND DISEASE, 

FROM INFANCY TO OLD AGE. 

A Complete, Practical, and Popular Treatise 

ON THE 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 

OF THE 

MALE SYSTEM. 

Adapted for every man's own private use. 



By Dr. F. HOLLICK, 

uthor of '* The Origin of Life," " The Marriage 
Guide" etc. 



Illustrated by numerous Engravings and Colored Plates. 
300th EDITION, 

REVISED, AND WITH ADDITIONS. 



NEW YORK: 7 *" ° 7 

EXCELSIOR PUBLISHING HOUSE, 
29 & 31 Beekman Street. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, 

By FREDERICK HOLLICK, M.D., 

In the Clerk's Office of Die District Court of the United States 

for the Southern District of New York. 

Copyright, 1872 by 
DR. F. HOLLICK, 

A II Rights Reserved. 



Copyright 1884, by 
DR. F HOLLICK, 

A 11 Rights Reserved. 



PEEFACE. 

IN the course of my practice, and more especially at the 
termination of my Lectures to Gentlemen, I have been re- 
peatedly asked whether I could not refer them to some book 
that would give a plain and practical explanation of the Male 
System, and its various derangements, adapted for every 
man's own use and instruction? In short, a book was 
wanted that should serve the same purposes for Gentlemen 
that my "Diseases of Women" did for Ladies; explaining 
fully all those affections peculiar to their own systems, and 
none others. No such work, however, was extant, and I 
saw that the only way to supply what seemed a general want 
was to write one. It is true there were works professing to 
treat on the Male System, for popular use, but they were all, 
without exception, principally devoted to Venereal diseases, 
and those who made the inquiry of me were not persons at 
all liable to such affections, nor feeling any particular interest 
in them. My audience would frequently say, " We are not 
subjects of syphilis, and probably never shall be, but still we 
are liable to many other diseases, most of which could doubt- 
less be prevented if we knew their nature and causes ; but, 
unfortunately for us, with the exception of your lectures, 
there is no source of information on such matters open to us. 
We want a Book that will treat on these things in the same 
style that your Lectures do, and it will be a public service if 
you will write such a one." For a long time I was desirous 
of complying with this request, but my time was so inces- 
santly occupied that I could not do so. The materiel I had 
in profusion, for I had consulted every book on these sub- 
jects that was worth reading, both in the English and other 
languages, and I had besides my own notes of cases, both nu- 
merous and varied, but still all these materials required ar- 
ranging and writing out, and hence the delay in the first issue 
of this Book. It immediately met with a large sale, and has 
been in constant and growing demand from the day it was ' 
first published, till this, the Three Hundredth Edition, which 
is revised all through, with new matter and illustrations, and 
all the latest information on all topics treated upon. 



PREFACE TO THE 300TH EDITION. 

There is nothing concerning a man's own self which in- 
terests him more, or is more important to him, than his sexual 
system. Upon its condition of health or disease, vigor or 
debility, depends that of every other part. And yet there is 
no portion of his organization that he more systematically 
neglects and abuses, simply from ignorance of its import- 
ance. 

Regarding it only as a means of sensual gratification he 
uses it as such, in most cases, with scarcely an effort toward 
moderation or control, and thus not only throws away virile 
power itself, but with it the health and vigor of other im- 
portant organs at the same time. 

Being assured, as I am, by extensive observation of men, 
that this insane conduct is the result, for the most part, of 
ignorance alone, I have written this Book for the purpose of 
giving them, as far as practicable, that knowledge of them- 
selves which I believe will tend to make them more rational 
in their conduct ; and thus enable them to avoid many of the 
most serious bodily and mental evils from which they now 
suffer. 

This is a kind of knowledge which can do no one any 
harm, young or old, and, though there are some who may 
disregard it, there are thousands to whom it will be of the 
greatest value. 

Many of the most serious sexual derangements are espe- 
cially preventable, or readily curable, if taken in time, but 
very intractable if neglected. It is therefore especially im- 
portant that every man should know, himself, their causes, 
and be able to detect them in their early stages, so 'that he 
may either avoid them or seek the necessary advice in time. 

The numerous editions this Book has gone through, and 
the general commendation it has met with, convince me that 
it serves the purpose for which it was written, and that it 
fairly supplies an acknowledged public want. 

This new and Improved Edition brings the work up to the 
standard of the present day, and enables me to give many 
valuable cases and illustrations not contained in the first 
issues. 

Dr. F. Hollick, 



PREFACE 

AND HISTORICAL SUMMARY, 



At the commencement of my medical career circum- 
stances led me into the study of the Generative System, 
its Anatomy, Physiology, and Diseases ; and this became, 
subsequently, a specialty with me, both as a matter of 
scientific pursuit and as a particular subject of medical 
practice. All my life since has been devoted to the same 
pursuit, and my practice has been almost exclusively con- 
nected with diseases of the Reproductive Organs, in men 
and women. 

I have, therefore, had much opportunity for acquiring 
knowledge on such matters, and have endeavored, as far 
as I could, to turn that opportunity to good account. By 
means of careful observations, both in human beings and 
animals, and by dissections and regular experiments in 
every practicable way, it has always been an object with 
me to learn as much as possible of the great mystery of 
Generation! This knowledge I sought not only as a 
medical man, to enable me to mitigate human suffering, 
or to fulfill legitimate human hopes, but because it is in- 
tensely interesting in itself, and of immense importance 
to the human race in many ways. 

The further my study and practice extended, the more 
I became convinced that this subject was one of the most 
important, medically and morally, that could possibly 
engage our attention, and yet at the same time the most 
neglected, and the least understood. The conclusion 
forced itself upon me that the prevailing ignorance in re- 
gard to sexual matters, and the consequent errors of 
thought and conduct thereupon, is the real cause of the 
most serious physical and moral evils that afflict society. 

Having come to this conclusion, it became at once a 
duty with me to try and remove that ignorance, and then 
the question arose, how this could best be effected ? I 
made it a point to consult all those whom I came in con- 



vi PREFACE. 

tact with, who took an interest in human welfare, as to 
the best steps to be taken. I spoke with Lawyers, Clergy- 
men, experienced Judges, Teachers, and Medical Men of 
liberal views, and they one and all agreed, with me. that 
a certain amount of knowledge concerning the Anatomy 
and Physiology of the human body, in both sexes, was 
the first thing needed. A celebrated professor in one of 
our colleges made the remark, ' ' What is the use of talk- 
ing to a man about the proper care and use of that which 
he knows nothing about ? " This is true enough, and all 
our moral teaching and appeals to the fears of people in 
regard to sexual wrong-doing, will have but little practical 
effect in correcting sexual evils, so long as people are 
so shamefully ignorant in regard to their own sexual nat- 
ures. Another one made the equally true remark, that 
" All human beings, from the necessities of nature, must 
be more or less occupied, in thought, about sexual mat- 
ters. It is impossible to prevent this, nor is it necessary 
to do so ; all that is needed is to guide their thoughts? 
aright, and to give early enough, in a proper manner, 
that knowledge which is the surest safeguard against er- 
rors of conduct." 

A little reflection will show the common-sense value of 
this remark. The most ignorant man is as full of thought 
about sexual matters as he who is well informed about 
them, perhaps more so. The difference simply is that 
the well-informed man has correct ideas — knows the truth 
— while the ignorant man has his mind filled with all 
kinds of errors and absurdities. 

Unfortunately the view has been held, and is now, by 
many well-meaning people, that this state of ignorance 
is in some way favorable to morality, and necessary to the 
general well-being ! These people think ignorance and 
innocence are the same thing, and that a man is more 
likely to walk straight if left in the dark than if you give 
him a light. 

My experience, however, has convinced me that the 
less we know about anything which interests us deeply, 
the more active is the imagination about it, and that no 
explanation of a natural function, if properly given, will 
ever injure any one either morally or physically. On the 
contrary, such explanations very frequently are the only 
means by which we can correct the evils caused by insane 
fancy, urged on by blind passion. As a rule, ignorance 



PREFACE. Vli 

on sexual matters results in either prurience or prudery, 
and is never either necessary or conducive to true inno- 
cence. 

Knowing, however, the prevalence of mistaken views 
on these matters, and foreseeing also the opposition of 
many whose interests would be imperiled, as they think, 
by popular enlightenment on such subjects, I was well 
aware of the difficulties before me. And let me remind 
my readers that these difficulties were much greater, even 
a few years ago, than can well be conceived now. It was 
scarcely possible then, without obloquy, to speak or 
write of the stomach or bowels even, in a popular manner ! 
How, then, could the sexual system be popularly ap- 
proached ? To attempt it was to fly in the face of a very 
general popular prejudice, and to risk even legal penal- 
ties. Nevertheless, I determined to make the attempt, hav- 
ing the promises of numerous persons, eminent in many 
walks of life, to stand by me and support me in the un- 
dertaking. Contrary to what was then feared, the open 
countenance of these liberal and enlightened men was 
not required, but I shall ever hold their names in grateful 
remembrance. Many of them are since dead, but from 
those still living, as well as from others, I constantly re- 
ceive congratulations and encouragement. 

The great practical difficulty in the way of popular in^ 
struction in Anatomy and Physiology lay in obtaining 
suitable objects with which to make the requisite explana- 
tions understood. Mere verbal explanations are of small 
use, and pictures only half explain. Something is re- 
quired which will take the place of the dead body as used 
by the student in the dissecting-room ; actual dissection 
before a popular audience being, of course, out of the 
question. Fortunately, during a visit to France, I be- 
came acquainted with Dr. Auzou, and saw his wonderful 
models of the human body, made of papier-mache, full- 
sized, and formed and colored to life — so exact, in fact, 
that it might often be difficult to distinguish the model 
from the real body. Here, then, I found just what was 
needed ; and I at once purchased a complete set suitable 
for my purposes, consisting of the human body, which 
could be taken to pieces, and shown part by part, ex- 
ternally and internally, all molded and colored true to 
nature ; and also separate organs of the male and female 
generative system, with a complete series showing the 



Vlll PREFACE. 

development of the new being in the womb at every 
stage. Besides these, I had a large number of paintings 
and plates, full size, and two complete skeletons, male 
and female. 

With these I undertook to give a complete course of 
Popular Lectures on human Anatomy and Physiology in 
New York— the first ones of the kind, and the first ever 
illustrated in this way. Many of my friends were doubt- 
ful as to how they would be received ; but I felt quite 
sure in my own mind that if the subject were properly pre- 
sented, it would be properly received, and I had no mis- 
givings. 

The result more than justified my anticipations. The 
Lectures were received with unbounded favor, congratu- 
lations and votes of thanks being given me repeatedly, 
and request after request made for repetition ; so that I 
lectured in New York continuously, for over six months, to 
crowded and enthusiastic audiences. 

Private Lectures were given, both to ladies and gentle- 
men, on those topics that could not well be spoken of be- 
fore a promiscuous audience, and they were as well at- 
tended, and as much commended as the others ; perhaps 
even more so. During the whole series I never heard a 
word of disapprobation, nor saw nor heard the slightest 
indication of impropriety in any way whatever. In fact, 
as one gentleman remarked, so far as lewdness was con- 
cerned, the Lectures were more repressive and corrective 
than any sermons he had ever listened to. To show the 
estimation in which they were held, I will here quote a 
few of the voluntary, unsolicited notices of them from the 
New York Press, on their first delivery : 

Dr. Hollick and Physiology. — The second of a series of 
Lectures, by this gentleman, on human physiology and all the 
important truths connected with our physical constitution, was 
attended by a full house, in National Hall, last evening. The 
time was well spent, and so appeared to think the audience. On 
the delivery of the first of these Lectures on Tuesday evening, 
the speaker, in a comprehensive and well-digested exordium, 
placed himself and the subject right with the public. Kis man- 
ner, language, and style did the first ; his sound logic, his argu- 
ment, his candor and research accomplished the second. Apart 
from the interesting and apposite details of the wonders of repro- 
duction, the illustrations of the immutable wisdom of nature, 
which teem in the animal and vegetable worlds — which 



PEEPACE. ^ 

u Glows in each stem, and blossoms in each tree ; 
Lives through all life, and extends through all extent, 
Spreads undivided, operates unspent'^ — 

apart from all this, Dr. Hollick's Lecture was excellent as a de- 
fence of truth, a vindication of the right of free and unshackeled 
inquiry, and as a convincing refutation of that silly, but far too 
prevalent opinion that there are truths of which it is better to re- 
main in a state of ignorance. Had nothing else been imparted 
in the forcible and well-defined exordium of Dr. Hollick than this 
judicious demolition of that fallacious, silly, but injurious twaddle 
which would forbid research to pass in advance of the old land- 
marks prescribed by custom, ignorance, or a spurious morality — 
even that would well deserve the public patronage. Truths, well 
set forth, will make an impression, whether their investigation be 
fashionable or not. There is an affinity between the capacity to 
learn and the truths to be learned, which always results, when a 
fitting opportunity is presented, in a free inquiry ; and the gen- 
tleman who is bringing, in a judicious and elevated manner, a 
knowledge of those fundamental principles of our corporeal ex- 
istence which are abused because unknown, will accomplish more 
good than half a dozen teachers of higher pretensions and lower 
ability. It was gratifying to observe the decorum, the sense of 
respect for both speaker and subject, that was observed through- 
out the evening, which evidently shows that those who go there 
are actuated by higher motives than mere curiosity ; by desires 
more ennobling than a passing gratification ; in a word, it was 
clear that those who composed Dr. H.'s hearers, were men who 
know and dare to think, and who will profit by these most useful 
discourses. — New Yoi'k Herald. 

The Ladies' Course was attended, among others, by 
Mrs. L. M. Child, the Authoress, who, in one of her let- 
ters to the Boston Courier, thus speaks of them : 

"LETTERS FROM NEW YORK. — NO. II. 

""..'..".; There have been several courses of lectures on 
Anatomy this winter, adapted to popular comprehension. I re- 
joice at this : for it has long been a cherished wish with me that 
a general knowledge of the structure of our bodies, and the laws 
which govern it, should extend from the scientific few into the 
common education of the people. I know of nothing so well 
calculated to diminish vice and vulgarity as universal and rational 
information on these subjects. But the impure state of 
society has so perverted nature, and blinded common-sense, that 
intelligent women, though eagerly studying the structure of the 
earth, the attractions of the planets, and the reproduction of 
plants, seem ashamed to know anything of the structure of the 
human body, and of those physiological facts most intimately 



* PREFACE, 

connected with their deepest and purest emotions, and the holiest 
experience of their lives. I am often tempted to say t as Sir 
Charles Grandison did to the prude, 'Wottest thou not how 
much zVz-delicacy there is in thy delicacy ! ' 

" The only lectures I happened to attend were those of Dr. 
Hollick, which interested and edified me much. They were 
plain, familiar conversations, uttered and listened to with great 
modesty of language and propriety of demeanor. The manikin, 
or Artificial Anatomy, by which he illustrated his subject, is a 
most wonderful machine, invented by a French physician. It is 
made of papier-mache \ and represents the human body with ad- 
mirable perfection in the shape, coloring, and arrangement, even 
to the minutest fibres. By the removal of wires it can be dis- 
sected completely, so as to show the locality and functions of the 
various organs, the interior of the heart, lungs, etc. 

" Until I examined this curious piece of mechanism, I had very 
faint and imperfect ideas of the miraculous machinery of the 
house we live in. I found it highly suggestive of many things to 
my mind L. M. C." 

I could fill many pages with similar notices, given by 
the various New York papers during my stay there, and 
the same approval met me in other places, as the follow- 
ing notices will show : 

Dr. H.'s style of lecturing is exceedingly plain, lucid, and in- 
telligible. He relies on no trick or art of oratory — no effort to 
surprise or startle — to obtain or keep up the interest of his lect- 
ures. But they are deeply interesting. They are listened to in 
silence and with enchained attention — an attention that would 
feel annoyed at any fictitious arts of the speaker. The reason of 
this is obvious. The entirely novel character of the lectures, the 
deep and pervading interest of the subjects discussed — subjects 
embracing all that is mysterious and of momentous importance in 
the matter of man's reproduction and existence in this world — 
give to the lectures a solid and inestimable value as well as en- 
chanting freshness and interest. 

We believe Dr. Hollick is the only man in the country who has 
devoted years of study to this important but too-much-neglected 
branch of human knowledge, or rather, of human ignorance, and 
who is now trying to extend the lights of wholesome understand- 
ing on the subjects embraced, among the people. 

In this matter we recognize in Dr. H. a public benefactor, and 
we owe it to the welfare of our fellows to commend him as such 
in this decided manner. We give utterance to no formal ox paid- 
for puff in this matter. Our readers know us to be incapable of 
such a prostitution of our columns. The large numbers of ladies 
and gentlemen who have attended Dr. H.'s lectures know that 
we do but speak of k this subject as it merits. — SI* Louis Intelli- 
gencer. 



PREFACE. xi 

Messrs. Editors : — The most scientific and useful lectures of 
the present day, which should claim the attention of every one, 
are now being delivered at Masonic Hall, by Dr. Hollick, on the 
subject of Paternal Physiology and Health. The writer of this 
heard his first course, delivered during the last week, and, having 
been educated to the medical profession, is, perhaps, capable of 
judging of their usefulness. There is no doubt that the general 
feeling of the medical faculty, and of an enlightened community, 
toward itinerant lecturers has been one of disapprobation and ap- 
prehension of quackery ; but in the present instance there is cer- 
tainly an exception. 

Dr. Dunbar (formerly Professor at the Washington College), 
who attended Dr. H.'s last lecture, on Friday evening, was so 
well pleased with the manner and matter of the lecture that he 
came out openly at the close of the lecture and stated, before the 
audience had dispersed, that he had come there at the request of 
a patient, prejudiced against the lecturer ; but on hearing him, 
he thought it his duty to say that the lecture was perfectly fair, 
scientific, calculated to do a vast amount of good, and that every 
man, young or old, should hear and would be benefited thereby. 
His illustrations are complete and beautiful, and his explanations 
couched in such delicate language that the most fastidious can. 
find no fault. Those of your numerous readers who may devote 
an hour to his remaining lectures will thank you for giving this 
publicity. — Baltimore American — Communicated. 

Dr. Hollick's Lectures. — These Lectures continue to at- 
tract much attention, and are commended by all who hear them. 
During the past week Dr. H. has given a private Lecture and ex- 
hibition of his models to many of our prominent senators and 
public men, all of whom expressed themselves highly gratified, 
and desirous that another class should be formed to accommo- 
date their friends who had not attended. — National Intelligen- 
cer, Washington , D. C. 

Dr. Hollick. — This distinguished lecturer had a crowded 
house at the Apollo last evening, and his delighted audience ex- 
pressed their approbation at the close of his discourse by loud ap- 
plause. 

Dr. H. is indeed a most entertaining and instructive lecturer. 
We heard a medical gentleman say last evening, after listening to 
him, that he would not fail to hear the whole series, even if he 
should have to sell his coat to raise the means. The information 
imparted by Dr. H. must be truly invaluable to every one who 
possesses it. — Louisville journal. 

At a meeting of the class attendant upon Dr. Hollick's Select 
Lectures on the Physiology and Philosophy of the " Origin of 
Life " in Plants and Animals, held at the Lecture Room of the 
Museum, Wednesday evening, George G. West, Esq., was called 
to the chair, and Samuel W, Black appointed secretary. 



xii PREFACE. 

Resolved^ That we have listened with unfeigned pleasure 
and interest to the Course of Lectures delivered by Dr. Hol- 
lick, and now brought to a close, and that we deem it an act 
of justice to him and the community to express our entire confi- 
dence in his character, ability, and the manner of illustrating his 
subject, which, to use the words of a daily journal, " is couched 
in such delicate as well as perspicuous language that the most fas- 
tidious could find no fault, nor the idlest curiosity go away unim- 
proved." 

Resolved^ That a committee of three be appointed to tender to 
Dr. H. the thanks of the class for his courtesy to the members in 
affording them every facility for obtaining information upon the 
subject of his lectures, and that he be requested to repeat the course 
at the earliest period consistent with his other engagements. 

Published in all the Philadelphia daily papers, and signed by 
one hundred and forty of the most respectable and influential 
inhabitants. 

(See similar resolutions, with over two hundred names at- 
tached, in the Philadelphia daily papers subsequently.) 

From the Philadelphia Daily Papers. 

At a meeting of the ladies composing Dr. Rollick's Class, held 
on Wednesday afternoon, in the Lecture Room of the Museum, 
the following resolutions were unanimously adopted, and ordered 
to be published in one or more of the city papers : 

Resolved^ That w r e have listened with great pleasure and inter- 
est to Dr. Holhck's Lectures, and are happy to add our testi- 
mony to the many already recorded in behalf of such Lectures ; 
and regarding Dr. Hollick as a benefactor of his race, and espec- 
ially of our sex, we cordially wish for him abundant success, and 
ample reward in the consciousness of doing good. 

Resolved^ That we will exert ourselves to induce our female 
friends and acquaintances to avail themselves of the great and 
rare privilege of obtaining the valuable instruction imparted in 
these Lectures in so chaste and dignified a manner. 
Signed on behalf of the meeting by 

Sarah Webb, Secretary. SUSAN WOOD, President. 

' With over fifty names attached thereto. 



(See also similar resolutions, with over three hundred names 
attached subsequently. ) 

These are but a very few out of an immense number of 
similar notices, North, East, South, and West ; and I can 
truly say that I never asked nor paid for a single one of 
them. They were all freely and spontaneously given. 

Besides these I had a vast number of letters from in- 
dividuals thanking me for the lectures, and was presented 



PREFACE. Xiii 

by my audience on one occasion with a handsome writing, 
desk and gold pen, and on another occasion with a com- 
memorative GOLD MEDAL. 

These reminiscences are introduced to show how the 
lectures were received by those who heard them. Many 
persons, in all the cities where I lectured, still remember 
them, and often write to me to know if I shall ever re- 
sume them. This, however, I cannot now do. The ex- 
igencies of my practice are such that I cannot leave New 
York. 

It gives me great pleasure, however, to see that my ex- 
ample has been extensively followed. Popular lectures 
on Physiology, illustrated in various ways, are now com- 
mon everywhere, and anatomical museums are established 
in most of our principal cities, open to the public at large. 
No one is offended at such things now ; and a man would 
be laughed at to-day who should say that the people 
ought not to see and hear such things. But when I first 
began to lecture, this sentiment was quite common and 
had to be met. One of the first anatomical museums estab- 
lished in New York City was complained of to the 
authorities as an indecent exhibition, and an effort was 
made to have it suppressed. Public sentiment, however, 
was then somewhat enlightened, and the attempt failed. 
Among those who volunteered their evidence in favor of 
such establishments, and argued for their utility, nay, 
even necessity, was a celebrated Professor of Anatomy 
and Surgery in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
since dead. 

The same gentleman also gave me great encourage- 
ment, and once remarked to me : ' ' Doctor, if you live to 
be old, you will see the most orthodox physicians and 
surgeons of the day following your example. They will 
give popular lectures, and write popular books on the 
very subjects you are lecturing upon. They will have to 
do it, or the people will turn their backs on them and get 
such information elsewhere." 

The result has shown how well he forecast the future. 
Professors in colleges do write such books, and eminent 
men connected with the profession give popular lectures, 
such as they dare not have thought of a few years ago. 

To me it seems a waste of time to argue further the 
advantage of knowledge over ignorance, nor is it neces- 
sary ; for the public mind now sees the advantage clearly 
enough. 



XIV PREFACE. 

It is equally unnecessary to contend for the right of the 
people to the possession of knowledge of any kind which 
they may desire. And yet I have formerly heard this 
right denied, and the assertion made that all knowledge 
such as given in my lectures should be confined exclu- 
sively to professional men ; that the common people had 
no right to it ; and that any one trying to impart it to 
them should be punished by law. 

Such sentiments prevail, even at the present day, among 
a very few ; but the great public voice is heard so unmis- 
takably demanding knowledge as a right \ on every subject 
interesting to humanity, not asking it as a favor from any 
one, that no one dare openly say that demand shall be 
refused. 

It used to be contended as one argument against popu- 
lar instruction on anatomy and physiology, that the 
amount of it which could be given was too small to be of 
any use. This, however, is a great mistake. The small- 
est amount is useful, and better than none ; but setting 
aside this, and the obvious fact that we must begin by 
little to arrive at more, it is not true that the instruction 
given is so very small. The means of illustration we 
possess now, and the extent to which such subjects have 
been simplified, enable us to give an amount of real prac- 
tical information to a non-professional audience, such as 
even medical men could not get a generation back. Yes ; 
some of the greatest medical men, even a few years ago, 
would have been glad of the advantages in the way of in- 
struction on the topics we are speaking of, that are now 
possessed by twenty-five-cent audiences of common 
people ! 

For myself I rejoice at this, and trust the day will 
come, and soon too, when all restriction, and all mystery, 
and all fear in regard to knowledge of any kind shall be 
swept away into the limbo of the past ! 

It has always been a consolation to me that I have 
been able to do something, even if it be but little, toward 
enlightening the popular mind, -especially on those much- 
neglected subjects which have more especially engaged 
my attention. While I live, my labors shall be continued 
in the same direction ; and with greater experience and 
more extended research, I trust my present and future 
efforts may be more effective than those I have made 
before. 



PREFACE* 

My books originated from the lectures. Many people 
who could not attend the lectures wished for the informa- 
tion they gave and many who did attend were desirous 
of having thai information always by them in an available 
form. I was therefore, repeatedly requested by my 
audiences and by others to write out the Lectures and 
publish them, which I eventually did. 

The first book I wrote was a small treatise called " The 
Origin of Life in Plants and Animals." It obtained im- 
mediately an immense sale, and I soon had to revise and 
enlarge it. It was then published in the new form as 
' : The Marriage Guide," which became still more popular, 
running to 500 editions ! 

The next work was one for men, called "The Male 
Generative Organs in Health and Disease." This was 
sought for with avidity from the first, and has now 
reached the 300th edition. 

One for women followed next, called "The Diseases 
of Woman familiarly explained," which was equally 
popular. 

For married women there was still another, called 

The Matron's Manual of Midwifery and Childbirth," 
also for private and popular use. This has become a 
standard book, always in demand. 

These books were all written for popular and private 
use by non-professional people. They were intended to 
give just that kind of information on the topics treated 
upon which all intelligent people desire to possess, and 
which my experience has shown me is the most practi- 
cally useful. 

I said to myself, " Here are men and women constantly 
coming to consult me on these matters, either as suffer- 
ing patients or as earnest seekers after knowledge, and I 
have to satisfy them all individually. Now, why cannot 
I publish my consultive explanations in a plain, practical 
form, so that they may satisfy those who do not wish for 
a personal interview, or who cannot, for one reason or 
another, have one ? " And this was my leading idea in 
the manner of writing these several books. I wished to 
consider my readers as so many patients or seekers after 
knowledge, coming to consult me, and I spoke to them 
in these works, just as I should have done in my office. 
In the books, in short, I merely consulted with, instructed, 
and advised a large number at once, speaking to them in 



XVI PREFACE. 

the same way ? and prescribing for them just as I should 
have done had they all come in separately, and paid me 
five dollars each as patients. 

This, then, is how the books originated, and this sums 
up their character. I will venture to assert that nothing 
can be found in one of them that is not scientifically true, 
or in any way whatever offensive to either morality or 
good taste. Notwithstanding they are strictly scientific, 
however, they are so written that any one can understand 
them, and they are all made practically serviceable for 
private use. In a word, they are people's books, such as 
American citizens desire, and even demand, from those 
that they consider popular teachers. 

Of the success of these books it is necessary for me to 
say but little. They have gone through hundreds of edi- 
tions for many years, and are in demand to-day just as 
they were at first. They have been commended in all 
ways, publicly and privately, and I have yet to hear of 
the first well-founded objection to them. The commenda- 
tory letters and notices I have received about them would 
fill a large volume, and, as an agent wrote me from the 
West, "They have become, over a large part of the 
country, household books, so that not a house, cabin, nor 
miner's camp can be found without them for hundreds of 
miles. There are few men more extensively known than 
you are, or more appreciated." 

There is also just issued a large book called The Origin of 
Life^ of over iooo quarto pages, with numerous engravings 
and colored plates, which will be found advertised at the end 
of this book. It fully explains the mystery of generation all 
through nature. 

F. HOLLICK, 

New York City. 
Box 3606. 



CONTENTS. 



4 0m » 



PART I. 



PAGE 

REPRODUCTION, . . . . 27 



CHAPTER I. 
The Female System, . . . • , 31 

CHAPTER II. 
The Male System, 47 

CHAPTER III. 

The Semen, 50 

17 



XVlii CONTENTS. 

PART II. 



PAGK 



DISEASES, MALFORMATIONS, AND DE- 
RANGEMENTS OF THE MALE SYS- 
TEM, .64 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Diseases, Deficiencies, and Malfor- 
mations of the Testes, their Envelops, 
and the parts more immediately con- 
nected with them, . . . . 65 

Anomalies in the size and apparent number of 

the Testes, . . . . . . .68 

Hydrocele, or Dropsy of the Testicles, . . 73 

Sarcocele, or Chronic Fleshy Swelling of the 

Testicle, 85 

Fungus of the Testicle, ..... 89 

Hernia Humoralis, Orchitis, or Inflammation of 

the Testicles, . . . . ' . .90 

Ossification of the Testicle, .... 98 

Arrest of Development and Wasting of the Testes, ib. 

Tubercular Disease, or Consumption of the Tes- 
ticle, 103 

Foreign Bodies in the Scrotum along with the 

Testicles, . . . . . . .104 

Nervous Affections of the Testicles, . . . 105 

Spermatocele, or Swelling of the Testes from en- 
gorgement of Semen, no 

Scrotocele, or Rupture of the Intestines or Omen- 
tum into the Scrotum, . . . .111 

Varicocele and Circocele, or Swelling of the Veins 

of the Scrotum and Spermatic Cord, . .114 

Haematocele, or Swelling of the Scrotum and 

Spermatic Cord from the Effusion of Blood, 117 

Prurigo, or Itching of the Scrotum, . . .118 



CONTENTS- 

Elephantiasis Scroti, . 
Remarkable Case of Elephantiasis, 
Falling of the Spermatic Cord, . 
Relaxation of the Scrotum, 
Diseases of the Vasa Deferentia, 
Diseases of the Seminal Vesicles, . 
Rupture, 

CHAPTER V. 



PAGE 

I20 
121 
124 
125 
126 
128 
129 



The Structure, Diseases, and Malforma- 
tions of the Penis and the parts im- 
mediately CONNECTED WITH IT, . . 132 

Absence and Malformation of the Penis, . . 137 

Hypospadias, 140 

Epispadias, . . . . . . 144 

Phymosis, . ib. 

Paraphymosis, 145 

Want of Development, or Congenital small size 

of the Penis, . . . . . . 147 

Paralysis of the Muscles of the Penis, . . 158 

Priapism, or Involuntary Erection, . . 159 
Diseases of the Urethra and the parts contained 

therein, 164 

The Prostate Gland, . . . . .168 

CHAPTER VI. 

p^unctional and sympathetic diseases of 

the Genital Organs, . . . .174 

Influence of the Brain on the Generative Powers, 176 
Influence of the Mind over the Generative Or- 
gans, 181 

Excessive Sensibility of the Genital Organs, . 189 

Special Topics— Nervous Spasm of the Urethra 

and Prostate, . . . . . .191 



XX CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

PAGE 

Spermatorrhoea, or excessive loss of 

Semen, 195 

Causes of Spermatorrhoea, . . . . 200 

Particular Effects of Spermatorrhoea, . . 205 
Symptoms by which the Spermatorrhoea may be 

detected, . 227 

Impotence from Involuntary Emission, . .231 

Microscopic Examination of the Semen, . . 238 

Treatment of Spermatorrhoea, . . . . 249 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Influence of Medicines in Producing 
and Curing Impotence and Sperma- 
torrhoea, 258 

CHAPTER IX. 
Masturbation and other Sexual Abuses, 273 
Self- Abuse, . 281 

CHAPTER X. 
Erotomania and Satyriasis, . . .301 

CHAPTER XI. 

General Remarks on the Preservation 
and Restoration of the Sexual Pow- 
ers, 308 

General Remarks on Diseases of the Testes, . 323 
Sexual Vagaries and Perversions, . . . 325 

CHAPTER XII. 
Miscellaneous Cases, .... 330-366 
Dr. Hollick's Aphrodisiac Remedy, . 367-377 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

PLATE I. 

SECTION OF FEMALE PELVIS, ..... 29 

PLATE II. 

FRONT VIEW OF THE FEMALE PELVIS, • • • 35 

PLATE III. 

OVARIES AND VESICLES, ...... 39 

PLATE IV. 

UTERUS AND APPENDAGES LAID OPEN, 45 

PLATE V. 

SEMINAL ANIMALCULES, ...... 53 

PLATE VI. 

NON-DESCENDED TESTICLE, 59 

PLATE VII. 

VARICOCELE, 6l 

PLATE VIII. v 

SEMINAL TUBES OF THE TESTICLE, 63 

PLATE IX. 

HYDROCELE AND WASTED TESTICLE, , . . . . 77 

PLATE X. 

SECTION OF PENIS AND BLADDER, . •••135 

PLATE XL 

REMARKABLE CASE OF ELEPHANTIASIS, . . 121, 122 



21 



NOTICE. 



Any persons wishing to communicate with Dr. H. 
by letter, can address to 

"Dr. F. Hollick, 

Box 3606, Post Office, 

New York City, N. Y.," 
and they will be promptly replied to. 

(Or simply " F. Hollick, Box 3606, New York City," 
if preferred. ) 

All Letters asking an opinion, or advice, must be full 
and plain in their descriptions, so that a correct judg- 
ment can be formed, and they must always contain 
the customary fee of Five Dollars, or they cannot be 
attended to. 

N. B. — Persons visiting New York, can always hear 
respecting Dr. H. by calling on his publishers, who will 
know if he is then in town or not, and will give the 
address of his office. In the changes constantly oc- 
curring in New York, removals frequently occur, 
which makes this precaution advisable. 

F. H. 



22 



DESCRIPTION OF FRONTISPIECE. 

Section of the Male Pelvis, to show the situations of the 
different parts. 

A. The Bladder. — B. The Rectum, or end of the 
large Intestine. — C. The lower part of the back bone, 
or Sacrum. — d. d. The small Intestines.— •/. One of 
the Kidneys. — g. g. The Ureter, or Tube which con- 
veys the Urine from the Kidneys into the Bladder. — 
h. The Pubic or Frontal Bone of the Pelvis. 

i. The left Testicle. — 2. 2. The Vas Deferens, or 
Tube which conveys the Semen from the Testicle. — 3. 
The left Seminal Vesicle, with which the Vas Deferens 
is connected. — 4. The Ejaculatory Canal, into which 
the Semen next passes.— 5. The Prostate Gland, with 
which the Ejaculatory Canal connects, and through 
which the Semen passes into the Urethra, or Urinary 
passage from the Bladder, (7). — 6. Is the Veru Mon- 
tanum, or small protuberance which partly closes the 
neck of the Bladder. — 7. 7. The Urethra, or passage 
by which the Urine escapes from the Bladder down 
the Penis. — 8. The upper part of the Penis, or Corpus 
Cavernosum. — 9. The lower part, or Corpus Spongio- 
sum. — 10. The Glans, or head of the Penis. — 11. 
One of Cowper's Glands. 

The course of the Semen is from the Teste along 
the A^as Deferens to the Seminal Vesicle, then along 
the Ejaculatory Canal and through the Prostate 
Gland into the Urethra, which it enters by the lower 
part of the Veru Montanum, at the part indicated by 
the two black dots. It then escapes from the body in 
the same way that the Urine does. 



25 



PART I. 



REPRODUCTION. 

The Reproductive process in the human being, as 
in all other perfectly organized animals, requires the 
concurrent action of two different organizations, the 
male and the female, each performing a distinct part, 
one as necessary as the other. Neither of these or- 
ganizations alone can effect the whole process of re- 
producing a new being, though in certain cases they 
may partly do so, in an imperfect manner. To un- 
derstand fully the action of each, which is requisite 
before their derangements and diseases can be under- 
stood, it is requisite to give a general description of 
both, and also of Reproduction itself. The true uses, 
and also the derangements of the male organs, can be 
fully known only when their relations to the female 
are properly understood. 



27 



PLATE I. 
Section of the Female Pelvis. 

A. The Bladder. 

B. The Womb. 

C. The Vagina. 

D. The Rectum, or end of the large Intestine. 

e. One of the Ovaries. 

f. The Corresponding Fallopian Tube. 

g. The Os Tineas, or Mouth of the Womb, which 

opens into the Vagina, or lower passage. 
h. The Meatus Urinarius, or Mouth of the Bladder, 

by which the Urine escapes. 
L The small Intestines. 

j. The Sacrum, or lower part of the back bone. 
k. The Pubic, or Front Bone of the Pelvis. 
/. The Right External Lip. 
m. The Right Internal Lip, or Nympha. 
11. The Hymen. 

o. The Opening through the Hymen. 
p. The Clitoris. 
q. The Perineum. 



28 



PLATE I. 




Section of Female Pelvis. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 



The office of the female system is twofold : it has 
to produce in the first place one of the original princi- 
ples, or primary parts, from which the new being 
begins; and also to effect its development into the 
perfect form. The female organs are therefore much 
more complicated than those of the male^ and her part 
of the process is more extended. 

The most essential parts of the female organization 
are two organs termed the Ovaries, which are located 
in the abdomen, one on each side, just above the groin. 
These organs have the power, when their full develop- 
ment is attained, to produce certain little bodies called 
Ova or Eggs, essentially the same as the eggs of birds, 
one of which is always required in the commencement 
of a new being. 

These organs are small in early life, and compara- 
tively inactive, but at a certain period, termed puberty, 
they become larger, and commence a series of curious 
and important physiological processes, the object of 
which is to develop the egg and to effect its expulsion 
from the body. 

When the ripe Ovaries are dissected they are found 
to contain a number of cells, or vesicles, which may be 
compared to those of a honey-comb, and in each of 
those cells is contained one of the germs or eggs, sur- 
rounded by a white fluid like the white of an egg. 
These cells are termed the Graafian Vesicles, after the 
Anatomist Graaf, who first described them ; they are 
about as large, when fully developed, as a small pea, 
but are not all of the same size at once, some being 
small or merely rudimentary, and others approaching 
perfection. Before the age of puberty these cells, and 

31 



32 THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 

the eggs they contain, are all undeveloped and small, 
but at that time their gradual and successive develop- 
ment commences. It is found, from recent observa- 
tions, that only one of them is perfected at a time, and 
that it requires a certain period before another can be 
produced. In the adult ovary therefore we find them 
at every stage, some being only in the rudimentary 
state, others just commencing to grow, and others hav- 
ing attained a considerable size, there being always one 
more ripe than any of the others, and evidently 
approaching to perfection. 

When the egg is fully developed it is thrown out of 
the Ovary, and after a time makes its escape from the 
body in a very curious manner. There are, therefore, 
two different actions performed by the Ovaries, first 
the forming or developing of the eggs in successive 
order, and, secondly, the expulsion of them from the 
Ovary, and ultimately from the body. 

This development of the eggs, it must be remem- 
bered, is entirely independent of sexual union or excite- 
ment, and is totally unconnected with conception, 
except as a preparation for it. In every female, 
whether virgin or not, from the age of puberty till the 
turn of life in old age, this development of the eggs is 
always going on, excepting in certain diseases, and dur- 
ing gestation and nursing, when it is usually suspended. 
It is also performed in certain definite and regular 
periods, which are nearly the same in all persons alike. 
This period is usually one month, or twenty-eight days, 
and most females observe precisely that period with 
singular regularity. During every month, therefore, 
after puberty, with the exceptions above named, one of 
the Graafian Vesicles, and its included egg, arrives at 
perfection, and at the end of the month the egg is 
expelled from the body. 

The egg appears to be expelled from the Ovary by a 
real inflammatory action, similar to what nature estab- 
lishes to effect the expulsion of an injurious foreign 
substance in any other part of the body. Toward the 
end of the month the Vesicle begins to swell very much, 



THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 33 

and is filled with blood, instead of the white fluid seen 
there at other times; the egg, which was formerly at 
the bottom of the Vesicle, is now lifted up to the top 
by the fluid underneath, and is at last pressed forcibly 
against the envelop or skin of the Vesicle. This press- 
ure becomes eventually so great that the envelop 
bursts, and the egg, escaping through the rent, 
reaches the outside of the Ovary. It is then taken to 
a particular part of the body to remain for a certain 
number of days, during which it may be impregnated, 
or receive the male principle, and if this takes place, 
they both remain and develop mto the new being, but 
if no impregnation is effected then, at the end of that 
time the egg is passed out of the body and lost. From 
this it is evident that impregnation, or conception, can 
take place only during those days after the egg is ex- 
pelled from the Ovary and while it yet remains in the 
body. 

The inflammatory action by which the Vesicle is 
filled with blood, and the egg expelled from the Ovary, 
is not altogether confined to those parts, nor to that one 
process, but affects other parts, and accomplishes other 
purposes. The whole Ovary, and also the neighboring 
organs, become at that time singularly excited and con- 
gested with blood, and at last, to relieve themselves, 
the blood mixed with mucus is discharged, to subdue 
the inflammation. This discharge usually lasts about 
four days, and is termed the Menstrual, or monthly flow. 
This flow, therefore, about which so little was for- 
merly known, is caused by the expulsion of the 
Ovum or Egg from the Vesicle, and indicates the 
period when that expulsion takes place. Consequently, 
in those who have no Ovaries, or in whom they are tor- 
pid, or destroyed by disease, no menstruation takes 
pJace. And for the same reason it is not seen before 
puberty, because the eggs are not then ripened; nor 
after the turn of life, because then they are all expelled. 
This discharge is therefore an indication of the capa- 
bility for conception, and it is also, in all probability, a 
means of removing much injurious matter from the 



PLATE II. 

Front View of the Female Pelvis, with the External 
Walls removed. 

A. The Bladder. 

B. The Womb. 

D. The Rectum, or Large Intestine. 
e. e. The Ovaries. 
f.f. The Fallopian Tubes. 
i. £, The Small Intestines. 
r. r. The Round Ligaments. 

This shows the situation of the Organs in the front 
of the body, as they appear when it is first opened. 



34 



PLATE XI. 




Front view of the Female Pelvis. 



36 THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 

system, so that female health is materially dependent 
upon it, and those in whom it does not appear, or 
becomes irregular, are nearly certain to become dis- 
eased. It is proper to remark, however, that it is some- 
times nearly or quite colorless, and then the persons 
think they have no menstruation, though they may, 
nevertheless, be perfectly regular. 

When the egg is fully expelled it leaves behind it 
the hollow Vesicle, filled with clotted blood, at the 
top of which is a torn place, or rent, through which 
the egg escaped. In a short time this blood dries up 
and changes to a dull yellow color, while the rent 
forms a scar on the surface of the Ovary, and we thus 
have produced the yellow body called a Corpus Luteum, 
which was formerly thought to result from conception 
only, but is now known to be an old Vesicle from which 
an Ovum has been expelled. On the surface of the 
Ovary of an adult female a number of these scars are 
always to be seen, but as they gradually fade away and 
disappear, only some few, and sometimes only the last 
one, can be distinctly seen. The Vesicles are con- 
tained, at first, in their rudimentary state, in the body 
of the Ovary, and appear to develop in succession, the 
outer ones first, each one, when fully ripe, projecting 
on the surface like a small pimple, or nipple, till it 
bursts. Xhe egg itself, when fully developed, is only 
about as large as the point of a pin, in fact it can only 
just be seen by the naked eye. This may appear sin- 
gular when compared with the large egg of a bird, 
but it must be recollected that the bird's egg is sur- 
rounded by the nutritious matter from which the new 
being is to be made, because it is totally separated from 
all other sources of nutrition, but the Human Ovum 
remains in the mother's body and derives nourishment 
from her blood to effect its development ; it has there- 
fore no need for any supply of nourishment to be 
attached to it. The actual germ is probably no larger 
in the bird than in the human female. 

When the egg is fully ripe, if it receives the male 
principle, it will develop to a certain extent, into the 



THE FEMALE SYSTEM. M 

human organization in any part of the body. But it 
cannot fully and perfectly develop except in a par- 
ticular organ, called the Matrix ', the Uterus •, or Womb. 
The position of this organ in the body may be seen in 
the Plates. It is a small hollow organ in its natural 
state with very thick walls, but capable of undergoing 
astonishing changes, and possesses every requisite 
both for the perfect development of the new being, 
and also for its expulsion into the world when fully 
grown. 

The Ovaries are attached to the Uterus, one on each 
side, by ligaments or bands, but have no direct connec- 
tion with its cavity. The connection between the 
Ovaries and Womb is by means of two organs, one 
attached to each side of the Womb, just above the 
Ovaries, called the Fallopian Tubes. A small passage 
leads from the inside of the Womb down these Tubes 
to the end opposite the Ovaries, which is expanded like 
a Trumpet, and surrounded by a number of fringes or 
Tentaculae like the fingers of a hand. 

The Womb is placed at the top of the passage or 
Tube called the Vagina, and opens into it by a small 
mouth called the Os Tineas, or mouth of the Womb. 
The lower part of the Vagina opens externally by the 
mouth called the Vulva. There is, therefore, a con- 
tinuous passage from the Ovaries to the outside of the 
body, by which the Ova or Eggs are expelled. 

After this description, the maturation and expulsion 
of the egg, and the process of conception can be read- 
ily understood by the following explanation, and by 
referring to the Plates. 

An egg becomes ripe at the end of every monthly 
period in one or the other of the Ovaries, and when 
expelled, in the manner above described, it is taken 
into the Womb in the following manner : At the pre- 
cise time when the egg is fairly loosed from the Vesicle, 
the expanded end of the Fallopian Tube grasps the 
Ovary over the spot where it is, and the fringes or 
fingers at the end of the Tube take hold of and carry 
it into the passage. The Tube then contracts and the 



PLATE IIL 

Ovaries, Graafian Vesicles, and Ova. 

i. One of the Ovaries just before the Crisis. — a. Is 
the Graafian Vesicle that is nearly ripe, and pre- 
paring to burst, the Ovum projecting upon it like 
a small pimple. 

2. The same Ovary cut through, to show the Inte- 
rior. — a. Is the Vesicle as seen within ; the dark 
center denoting the clot of blood which throws out 
the Egg. — b. Is an old Vesicle from which an Egg 
has been ejected at some former crisis. It is now 
drying up, and forms a Corpus Luteum. 

3. Is the Graafian Vesicle removed and magnified. — 
a. Is the Ovum, or Egg, just breaking through the 
rent in the Vesicle. 

4. Is the Egg itself magnified, showing its granular 
structure. — a. Is the Germinal Vesicle. 



38 



PLATE III. 




Ovaries and Vessicles. 



40 THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 

e gg is gradually forced down its interior till it reaches 
the Womb. 

When the Egg arrives in the Womb it would, of 
course, pass immediately out, by way of the Vagina, if 
there were not some contrivance to prevent it, which, 
of course, there is, and of a very simple and perfect 
character. While the Egg is passing down the Tube 
there is formed in the interior of the Womb a thin 
membrane, or skin, which lines its walls and closes the 
passage at its mouth. When the Egg passes out at 
the Uterine end of the Tube it presses on this 
membrane and makes a depression or nest in which it 
lies. 

As long, therefore, as this membrane remains 
attached, the Egg is retained in the Womb, and con- 
ception is possible, but at the end of a certain time the 
membrane looses away and parts from the body, 
taking the egg along with it, after which, of course, 
there can be no conception till another such period 
comes round and another egg is lodged there in the 
same manner. Consequently there is only a part 
of each month during which conception can take 
place. 

As near as can be ascertained, the flow occurs while 
the expulsion is taking place from the Ovary, and the 
egg does not reach the womb until the first or second 
day after the discharge has ceased, it is, therefore, from 
the second day after the cessation of the period that the 
• time during which conception can take place is reck- 
oned. This time, I think it necessary to state again, is 
so various in different females that no general rule can 
be laid down, and there are so many causes which 
make its commencement and duration uncertain, that 
it cannot be calculated upon practically, except by 
experienced persons. There are signs by which the 
period during which conception is impossible can be 
told in every female, with perhaps a few exceptions, 
but they can only be detected by those who have been 
long in the habit of observing them. The Membrane 
and Egg together are so small, and so delicate in their 



THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 41 

structure, that few females ever observe them, though 
passing from their bodies every month. 

A knowledge of the above-mentioned facts enables 
us to explain many cases of barrenness, the causes of 
which were previously unknown. In some females the 
Ovary has not power to perfect the egg, and it is con- 
stantly expelled before its development is complete, 
and therefore is not capable of being impregnated. 
In others the Womb does not form the Membrane, so 
that the egg instead of being retained in the Womb 
passes immediately out, and conception has no chance 
to occur. Some females can only retain the egg a few 
hours, or perhaps for a day, and if not impregnated 
during that short time they cannot be so during the 
rest of the month. The most probable time for con- 
ception is from the first to the fifth day after the cessa- 
tion of the menstrual flow. 

The actual processs of conception is in itself very 
simple, and may be explained in a few words. The 
semen, or male principle, is deposited, during associa- 
tion, in the Vagina, and from thence conveyed upward 
through the Os Tincae, into the cavity of the womb. 
If it reaches the upper part, and the egg be there, 
conception may occur ; but there are many causes oper- 
ating both to prevent its transit and also to destroy its 
power. The upward passage of the semen is accom- 
plished by a peculiar power in itself, which will be 
explained when we describe the male system. The 
place of union of the two principles is, therefore, 
usually in the upper part of the womb, or possibly also 
at the uterine end of the Fallopian Tube. 

Immediately after impregnation has been effected 
the egg attaches itself permanently to the walls of the 
womb and begins to develop into a human being, the 
womb expanding to allow of its doing so. When fully 
grown the walls of the womb begin to contract and 
eventually expel it from the body, by way of the 
vagina. During its growth the nutriment required is 
obtained, in some way not very well understood, from 
the mother's blood, the communication between the 



42 THE FEMALE SYSTEM. 

Foetus and its parent being of the most wonderful and 
intricate character. 

For full particulars on all these matters see my 
" Marriage Guide," in which will be found all that 
is known on such subjects. Five hundredth edition, 
with numerous colored plates, and all the new discov- 
eries. 

Also the "Origin of Life," in which the whole 
process of Generation and Reproduction is shown all 
through nature, in every kind of plant and animal, 
from the lowest to the highest. 



PLATE IV. 

The Uterus and its appendages removed to show their 
connections. 

B. The Womb. 

C. The Vagina. 

e. e. The Ovaries. 
/./. The Fallopian Tubes. 
g. The Neck of the Womb. 
r. r. The Round Ligaments. 
s. The Left Broad Ligament. 

This view represents the Organs disconnected from 
all the other parts. The passage of the Ovum, from 
the Ovary down the Fallopian Tube to the Womb 
can be readily understood by this plate. 



44 



PLATE IV, 




Uterus and appendages laid open. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MALE SYSTEM. 

The most essential organs in the male system 
are two glandular bodies, called the Testes or Testicles, 
which are placed, after birth, outside of the body, in 
an external envelope, called the scrotum, hanging 
from the pubic bone. The use of these organs is to 
produce the male principle, or semen, as the ovaries 
produce the female ovum or egg. The Testes, like the 
Ovaries, are not capable of performing their proper 
functions till a certain period of life, called puberty, 
but, unlike them, they are not liable to lose their pow- 
ers at any particular age, but may preserve them in- 
definitely. In the early stages of existence in the 
womb the testes are contained in the abdomen, and 
only descend to the scrotum just before birth. 

On dissecting one of the testicles, it is found to be 
chiefly composed of blood-vessels and numerous small 
tubes containing semen. A branch of the spermatic 
artery is sent from the abdomen down to each testis, 
in which it divides and subdivides into thousands of 
little branches, many of which are too small to be 
seen by the naked eye. It is this artery that brings to 
the testis the pure blood from which the semen is 
formed. The seminal tubes are at first exceedingly 
minute, but very numerous, and they gradually unite 
together to form larger branches, and trunks, till 
eventually the whole form but one tube, called the 
Vas Deferens, by which the semen is conveyed to the 
Urethra. The number of these little tubes has been 
estimated at over sixty thousand in one testicle, and it 
has been shown that, if they were put in a straight 
line, they would measure many hundreds, if not thou- 
sands of feet. There is also a branch of the spermatic 

47 



48 THE MALE SYSTEM. 

vein connected with each testis, which ramifies in its 
substance similarly to the artery. This vein is to take 
away the impure and refuse blood when no longer 
needed. 

The Testicles are therefore mainly composed of 
three kinds of tubes, or vessels, namely, Arteries, 
Veins , and Seminal Tubes. In addition to which 
there are also numerous nerves, and Lymphatics, or 
absorbents, the whole being connected together by a 
cellular substance or tissue. Each one is connected with 
the body by what is termed the spermatic cord, which 
is a kind of sheath, or tube, about half an inch in diam- 
eter, containing the main branches of the Artery, 
Nerves, and Lymphatics, going to the Testis, with the 
main branch of the Vein, and the Vas Deferens, com- 
ing from it. This spermatic cord ascends into the 
Abdomen, where the different vessels composing it are 
distributed to their respective places. Each testis is 
also surrounded by a distinct coat, or tunic, beside the 
scrotum, or outer skin, in which both are inclosed. 

The manner in which the semen is actually made 
is of course unknown to us \ we can only point out the 
place where it originates and explain its progress 
toward the exterior of the body. 

The Vas Deferens from each Testis, into which all 
its seminal tubes have poured their contents, ascends 
into the Abdomen through the spermatic cord, and 
rises nearly as high as the top of the bladder, behind 
which it turns, and then begins to descend till it meets 
over its lower part with two small organs called the 
Seminal Vesicles, with which it becomes connected. 
From the seminal vesicles the semen passes down a 
small tube called the Ejaculatory Canal, which is at- 
tached to the bladder, and which joins, immediately 
under it, an organ called the Prostate Gland. Finally, 
by means of some curious openings through the pros- 
tate gland, the seminal fluid is passed into the Ure- 
thra, or passage down the Penis, by which the urine 
escapes from the bladder, and is thus ejected from the 
body. 



THE MALE SYSTEM. 49 

These several parts comprise the whole male gen- 
erative system, and in the act of impregnation each 
one has a special function to perform. The Testes 
secrete the semen, the Vas Deferens and ejaculatory 
canal convey it to the Urethra, and the penis deposits 
it in the Female Organs, while the seminal vesicles 
and prostate gland either secrete some necessary addi- 
tion, or effect some modification in it. 

This general description will be sufficient for our 
present purpose. A full account of each organ, and 
of all their different diseases, will be given further on, 
after the nature and properties of the Seminal Fluid 
have been treated upon. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE SEMEN. 



The vivifying principle secreted by the, male testes 
is a yellowish-white semi-fluid substance, having a 
peculiar odor. It is slightly viscid and saltish when 
fresh. On examination it is found to consist of two dis- 
tinct parts, one nearly fluid and the other like globules 
of half-dissolved starch, which, however, both melt 
together when it is exposed some time to the air. The 
peculiar odor of the Semen appears to be derived from 
some of the parts through which it passes, for when 
taken from the testes it has scarcely any smell at all. 

Chemical analysis shows us that the semen differs 
but little in its composition from other substances found 
in the body- In i ,000 parts there are about 900 water ; 
60 animal mucilage ; 10 soda; and 30 of phosphate of 
lime, with a peculiar animal principle, the composition 
of which is unknown. This analysis, it must be recol- 
lected, is that of the semen, as it leaves the body, 
that is the secretion of the Testes, Vesicles, Prostate 
Gland, and other parts, united together. How far the 
pure semen from the testes alone differs from this is not 
known. By some the starchy portion only is supposed 
to be produced by the Testes. 

The Seminal AnimaculcB. — The most curious pecul- 
iarity of the semen, and in many respects the most 
important, is that there always exist in it, when perfect, 
a number of remarkable living beings called the Zoo- 
spermes or Seminal Animalcules. These beings were 
discovered many years ago, but have not been accu- 
rately studied and described till very recently. The 
representations and descriptions given of them in old 
works are mostly incorrect, and sometimes very extrav- 
50 



THE SEMEN. 51 

agant, and calculated to mislead rather than inform. 
Some physiologists, who saw them imperfectly, even 
doubted if they were living beings. The perfection of 
that magical instrument, the microscope, however, and 
the patient investigation of such men as Pouchet and 
his coadjutors, have not only corrected these old errors, 
but also disclosed to us new truths, more wonderful even 
than the wild dreams of former times. 

As far as yet investigated these Animalcules exist, 
universally, in the Semen of all animals whatever, but 
have a peculiar form and development in each. 

It is also ascertained that they are developed from a 
species otegg, or ovum, called the seminal granule, or 
vesicle. Under the microscope a number of these can 
always be detected, like little globules of mucus, and 
they are observed to undergo a regular series of changes 
similar to those of the female ovary. When first 
observed they are round and merely contain a number 
of small granules, which are the Animalcules in a 
rudimentary state. At a further stage these granules 
are found to be developed into small Animalcules, 
while the containing vesicles have expanded and 
become elongated, or egg-shaped. Finally the vesicle 
breaks open at one °end, and the Animalcules escape, 
being at first very small and gradually growing after- 
ward to the size we ordinarily see them. 

The figures in the accompanying plate represent the 
form of the Zoospermes and the changes in the ves- 
icles, as seen under the microscope, in the human 
being. 

In different beings the form both of the Vesicle and 
the Animalculae varies much, and occasionally the 
Zoospermes undergo some remarkable metamorphoses 
before assuming their final form. 

In the human being there are about thirty Zoo- 
spermes in each Vesicle, but in some beings there are 
more, and in others not so many. The number of ves- 
icles varies very much at different times, even in the 
same individual. 

The precise size of the Zoospermes is, of course, diffi- 



PLATE V. 




Seminal Animalcules. 



PLATE V. 

The Seminal Animalculas in the Human Subject 

. One of the Vesicles, containing the Animalcules 
in a rudimentary state, coiled up. 

. The Vesicle broken open, and the Animalcules es- 
caping* 

and 4. Perfect Animalcules. — a, Is the stomach and 
intestines. The two round white spots at the 
top indicate the mouth and the sucker by which it 
attaches itself. 
These are magnified many thousand times. 



53 



54 THE SEMEN. 

cult to ascertain, but M. Pouchet estimates their length 
at about the ten thousandth part of the breadth of an 
ordinary hair, and their weight at about the hundred 
a?id forty thousand millionth part of a grain / A spot 
as large as a mustard seed, he remarks, will sometimes 
contain fifty thousand of them, or more. 

Notwithstanding this extreme minuteness we are now 
tolerably well acquainted with their peculiarities of 
structure, and even with many of their habits ; nor 
need this excite much surprise when it is recollected 
that there are beings still smaller that have been studied 
with even greater success. In Figs. 3 and 4 of the last 
plate, the form of the human Zoospermes is given cor- 
rectly, and their internal organization is also partly 
shown by the part marked a. a. Fig. 4, which is sup- 
posed to be the stomach. In the perfect state each one 
has a sucker at the larger end, represented by the white 
dot in Figs. 3 and 4, by which they can attach them- 
selves to any object. They are observed to change 
their skins at certain periods, like snakes, and we some- 
times find the loose skin hanging about them iu shreds, 
or cast off quite whole. In some animals they have a 
number of hairs, or cilia, by the motion of which they 
move in the fluid, and some even have perfect fins. 
One physiologist assures us that he distinctly saw 
they were sexual, and that he could readily distinguish 
the male and female ! They are usually lively and 
active, with peculiar^ motions, some of which are per- 
formed in concert an*d others singly, with great perse- 
verance and regularity : thus a number of them will 
sometimes form into a ring, with their heads all one 
way, and run round and round in a circle for a consid- 
erable time ; or, one may be seen by itself pushing 
before it a large globule of mucus, or blood, many times 
heavier than itself, for several minutes together. One 
peculiarity is observable in all of them, and that is an 
almost invariable tendency to move only straight for- 
ward, when alone, and they will seldom turn to go back 
even though they meet with an obstruction, but often 
attach themselves to it by the sucker and remain till 



THE SEMEN. 55 

they die. Frequently they are seen to enter into 
combats, and a number of them will fight till only one 
is left alive. They will live for some hours out of the 
body, particularly if put in warm water, in which their 
motions may be readily seen. 

The Zoospermes are not found before Puberty, nor 
usually in extreme old age. Many diseases also destroy 
them, and several drugs have the same power. In all 
cases where they are absent or destroyed, from what- 
ever cause it may be, the semen cannot impregnate, 
though in every other respect it may be quite perfect, 
and the vigor of the patient seem not in the least 
impaired. This has been proved by filtering them 
away, and by destroying them. The development of 
the Zoospermes, it will be observed, is strictly anal- 
ogous to that of the ova, or eggs, in the female. Thus 
they are first found in the form of little granules, 
enclosed in a Vesicle, which bursts as they become more 
perfect and allows them to escape. In some animals 
there is even a periodical development of them, similar 
to that of the ova in the female, with which it usually 
corresponds. In such animals the Testes are small at 
other times, and increase in size at these periods, 
because the Vesicles only attain their full growth then. 

In tracing the semen from its source we find that the 
animalcules are not developed till it reaches the Semi- 
nal Vesicles, and are sometimes not perfect till it has 
reached the Prostate Gland. In the Testicles we 
never find the Zoospermes themselves, but only the 
Vesicles containing the granules, which gradually 
develop as it proceeds further on. 

The Testes may therefore be compared to the Ova- 
ries, the Seminal Vesicles to the Graafian Vesicles, 
and the Seminal Granules to the ova. Some physiol- 
ogists consider the granules to be the ova of the ani- 
malcules themselves ; but this we cannot yet decide, 
though it is certain the animalcules originate from 
them. 

The importance of these facts, in giving us a correct 
knowledge of the nature and proper treatment of many 



56 THE SEMEN. 

diseases of these organs, will be seen as we proceed, 
particularly when treating on Impotence and Seminal 
losses. 

The actual process of conception is also made more 
clear from some of these details. For instance, the 
tendency which the Animalcules have to move only 
straight forward, is in all probability the reason why 
they make their way up into the womb from the vagina, 
and impregnate the egg. If it were not for this ten- 
dency, combined with their great motive power, the 
two principles might not be brought together. Their 
power of living out of the male body for some time is 
also necessary to impregnation, because they may not 
reach their destination immediately. It is found that 
they will live in the female organs, when these are 
healthy, as long as twenty-six hours, and, of course, 
during any part of that time conception may take place. 
Sometimes conception may take place in a few minutes, 
and at other times not till many hours after the associa- 
tion of the two sexes. It has been found on dissecting 
an animal killed ten hours after connection, that the 
semen had not even then reached the ovum, though it 
usually passes into the womb almost immediately. 

It is evident from this how incorrect it is to speak of 
the moment of conception as if it were a period cer- 
tainly known. No greater mistake could be made than 
to suppose that it always corresponds with the moment 
of connection, because it may be as much as twenty 
hours after, or more. It is also evident from these facts 
why it is that conception is possible without actual con- 
nection. If the semen is merely deposited in the exter- 
nal lips it may impregnate, because the animalcules 
may make their way from thence up to the womb. It is 
also of little consequence how the semen is deposited 
in the female organs, providing it be perfect, and this 
explains why it is that conception can be effected arti- 
ficially, by merely injecting the semen in the female 
organs with a syringe or otherwise, which has often 
been done. The mere presence of the male organ is 
in no way essential ; which is the reason why a certain 



THE SEMEN, 57 

mode of attempting to prevent conception often fails. 
It was also remarked, in a previous part, that sexual feel- 
ing in the female was not necessary to conception, and 
this will now be evident when it is recollected that the 
Animalcules move up into the womb by their own 
power. It is probable, however, that this feeling often 
conduces to conception, by establishing certain favor- 
able conditions of the parts, and therefore that event 
is not so likely to occur during sleep or unconscious- 
ness, though it \s possible for it to do so. 

The old idea that it was only the odor, or aura, of the 
semen that ascended into the female organs and impreg- 
nated the ovum is too unfounded and obviously incor- 
rect to need refutation. 

The presence or absence of the Zoospermes in the 
Female Organs, and other parts, is the chief evidence 
sought for in cases of alleged violation, because in such 
cases they may certainly be found, if the act has been 
committed, for as long as twenty-six hours after alive, 
and dead for almost any period if the fluids be dried. 

(For full particulars of the Generative Organs in all 
kinds of beings, with the forms and changes of their 
Zoospermes, from the lowest to the highest, consult 
the large work " The Origin of Life," in which they 
are all fully explained and illustrated. ) 



PLATE VI. 

In this plate is shown a case in which the right Tes- 
ticle had never descended into the Scrotum, and the 
man was said to have but one Testicle. 

In nearly all such cases there is a peculiar appearance 
of the Scrotum, which would lead any one experienced 
in such matters to judge the real nature of the case. 
The skin is very rough, or drawn together in numerous 
hard folds. It is also thick, and gives the appearance 
as if the Scrotum was solid. 

The Testicle itself is often larger in that position than 
in its natural one in the Scrotum. 



58 



PLATE VI. 







PLATE VII. 

Varicocele, falling of the cord, or dropped Testicle, 

This is a very common disease, and a very trouble- 
some one. It will be seen how the veins are swelled 
and knotted, and how the Scrotum is stretched down- 
ward, as if a heavy weight were hung in it. 

The Testicle itself is buried under the mass of fallen 
cords and blood vessels, and the pressure they exert 
often causes it to waste away. 

The line shows where the Scrotum should be. 



60 



PLATE VII. 




PLATE VIII. 

Seminal Tubes of the Testicle, with the Epididymis 
and Vas Deferens. 

a. a, a. Lobules of the small Seminiferous Tubes, 
similar to the convolutions of the Brain. 

h. The Rete Testis, a number of nearly straight 
Tubes into which the smaller ones enter. 

c. The Vasa efferentia, or larger Tubes, 12 or 18 in 
number, into which the semen passes from the 
Rete Testis. 

d. Plexuses, or conglomerations of the Vasa efferen- 
tia, which form a kind of head, almost like a small 
Testicle, called the Epididymis. 

e. e* The head of the Epididymis. 
/. f. The body of the Epididymis. 

g. An appendix of the Epididymis, called the aberans. 

It is not always met with. 
h. The Tail or Cauda of the Epididymis. 
*. u The Vas Deferens, which is at first very much 

twisted, but becomes finally straight. 

From this view it will be seen that the small Seminal 
Tubes gradually merge into the large straight ones, 
called the Rete Testis, then these into the still larger 
called the Vasa efferentia, and finally they all coalesce 
into one Tube, the Vas Deferens, 



62 



PLATE VIIL 




Seminal Tubes of the Testicle. 



PART IL 



DISEASES, MALFORMATIONS, AND DE- 
RANGEMENTS OF THE MALE SYSTEM 



It is of the greatest importance that every man 
should know sufficient of himself to be able to detect 
the various derangements of his system at the earliest 
possible moment, and that he should also know the 
proper steps to take for their prevention and removal. 
He who knows nothing of this kind, and goes to a 
physician only when he feels pain or inconvenience, 
will often find that he then cannot be benefited, the 
favorable moment having gone by, unknown to him 
through his ignorance. Some of the most severe and 
dangerous diseases of the Testes, for instance, cause 
neither pain nor inconvenience till they are considera- 
bly advanced. I shall therefore give all the indications, 
that can be relied upon, of each disease, and also the 
treatment to be pursued, making it in every case, as far 
as possible, such as may be practiced by the person 
himself. 



64 



Muscles of the Male Organs, and Envel- 
opes of the Testicles. 




Fig. 1. — 1, 2, 3, The muscles of the root of the Penis 
4, 6. Muscles of the Anus, which are concerned in erection. 

Fig. 2. The Different coats, or envelopes of the Testicles, 
with the Vas deferens and Blood Vessels, forming the Sper- 
matic Cord, which ascends through the inguinal ring at 11. 
1. The Testicle. 8. The Epididymis. 12. Shows the Vaf 
Deferens ascending in the body. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE DISEASES, DEFICIENCIES, AND MALFORMA- 
TIONS OF THE TESTES, THEIR ENVELOPS, 
AND THE PARTS MORE IMMEDIATELY 
CONNECTED WITH THEM. 

As before remarked, the Testes are usually two in 
number, the one on the left side being lower and 
larger than that on the right. But sometimes more 
than two appear to exist, and at other times only one, 
or perhaps none. The arrangement of one being 
higher than the other, when there are two, prevents 
them from being crushed together when the limbs are 
crossed, by allowing one to slide over the other. The 
internal structure of them having already been ex- 
plained, it is only requisite further to describe their 
envelops and attachments. 

Immediately around each one is an envelop or mem- 
brane, called the Tunica Albuginea or Peritestis, 
which surrounds every part, and also sends branches, 
or leaves, into the substance of the Testicle ; so as to 
divide it, to a certain depth, into lobes, or sections, 
similar to the lobes of the brain, only of a triangular 
shape. 

The outside inclosure is called the Scrotum, or 
purse, and is the same as the skin of the thighs. It 
is divided vertically into two parts by a small ridge, 
called the Raftkce, and is usuall) covered with hairs at 
puberty. Underneath the Scrotum we next find a 
reddish cellular membrane, called the Dartos, which 
makes a separate sack for each of the two Testicles, 
which are separated from each other by a vertical 
membrane placed between them, called the Septum 
Scroti, which acts as a partition, and thus the two 
65 



06 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

organs are perfectly unconnected with each other. 
The nature of the Dartos has been a subject of dis- 
pute among anatomists, some considering it to be 
merely a cellular tissue, and others thinking it to be a 
muscle. It is undoubtedly partly muscular, and con- 
sists mainly of long fibers, which cross and interlace 
each other in every direction. It is the contraction of 
these fibers of the Dartos that corrugates or wrinkles 
the Scrotum, as is well seen when sudden cold is ap- 
plied to the external parts. Next under the Dartos 
comes a true muscular coat, called the Cremaster Mus- 
cle or Tunica Erythoides, the use of which is to draw 
the Testicle upwards. This is derived from one of the 
muscles of the abdomen, and comes down through 
the abdominal ring, forming part of the sheath of the 
spermatic cord. The last coat is called the Tunica 
Vaginalis, which is a true serous membrane interlaced 
with blood-vessels, and comes next to the Tunica Al- 
buginea. 

In a healthy state the muscular fibers of the Scrotum 
are usually contracted, so as to draw the skin into 
folds and brace the Testes up against the Abdomen ; 
but during a state of debility, or from great fatigue, 
they become relaxed,- so that the Testes hang low, and 
pull upon the cord. It is an almost certain sign of 
ill health when this relaxation of the Scrotum occurs, 
at any period of life, and often its disappearance is 
the first indication of improvement. In old people, 
and in those of a bad habit of body, this relaxed state 
becomes permanent. 

By inspecting antique statuary, it will be seen that 
the ancients were practically acquainted with this 
physiological fact, and they have accordingly accurately 
represented it in their works of art. The figures of all 
their men in health and vigor have the Scrotum inva- 
riably drawn up to the abdomen, while those of old 
men, or sufferers, hang pendent. 

As a general rule the muscles of the Scrotum are 
independent of the will, or act involuntarily, but in- 
stances have been known of men who could make 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 67 

them act as they pleased. Some boys exhibit this 
power before puberty, being able to draw the Testes 
up to the abdominal ring, and let them fall again, 
but it is seldom this command over them continues, 
though one instance is on record. This man drew 
the Testes up into the groin, so as to form apparent 
ruptures, in order to escape being impressed into the 
service. Being detected, however, he confessed the 
trick, and made an exhibition of his extraordinary 
power to the examining physicians. He could pull 
up either one alone or both together, and could also 
make one go up while the other was coming down ; in 
short, he had the same command over them as over 
his arms, and could move them as quickly. In an- 
other instance a man, who was charged with being 
the father of an illegitimate child, endeavored to evade 
the responsibility by alleging he had no Testicles, 
and, therefore, could not be the father, but it was dis- 
covered that he could draw them up into the groin at 
pleasure. In a healthy state the scrotal muscles are 
brought powerfully into action during coition, so as to 
brace the Testes tightly against the Pelvis, and one 
cause of partial impotence in very weak or old people, 
is the loss of this power, owing to which the semen is 
not expelled with sufficient force. In children this 
relaxed or firm condition of these muscles is often a 
valuable indication of the state of their health. 

The form of the Testis is that of a somewhat flat- 
tened oval, with one end a little larger than the other. 
The average weight is about one ounce. 

The Vas Deferens, or common Tube into which all 
the small ones are emptied, commences at the globus 
minor, or lower end of the epididymis, and then 
passes into the spermatic cord by which it enters the 
Abdomen, where its course has already been traced. 
It is altogether about thirty-two feet long. The sheath 
of the spermatic cord is composed of two coats, the 
outer one of which is very firm, like cartilage, so that 
the tube is not easily compressed ; the inner coat is a 
mucous membrane, similar to that inside the Urethra. 
This cord can be readily felt externally. 



68 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

This description of the Testes and their envelops, 
combined with that before given, will be sufficient to 
give a clear understanding of the various diseases and 
derangements to which they are liable, and also of 
the reasons for the line of treatment laid down. It 
will be seen that they are so placed, without the body, 
as to have no direct connection with any other organs, 
and they may, therefore, be removed, without any 
other part being interfered with. This operation, 
termed Castration, is sometimes necessary in certain 
diseases, and sometimes it is the effect of accident, or 
in some parts of the world of design. The removal 
of the Testes, however, in whatever way it may be 
efTected, not only destroys the power of procreation, 
but also interferes in a remarkable manner with the 
growth and functions of various other parts of the 
body, from which it is evident that they are necessary 
for the perfection of the individual's own system, as 
well as for the purpose of bringing new beings into 
existence. 

ANOMALIES IN THE SIZE AND APPARENT NUMBER 
OF THE TESTES. 

The usual size of the Testes is about that of an or- 
dinary pigeon's egg, and their weight, as before stated, 
is about one ounce. Occasionally, however, they are 
seen much larger, and sometimes much smaller, and 
their weight may be also considerably greater or less 
than the average. I have seen them as large as a full- 
sized hen's Qgg, yet perfectly healthy, and as small as 
marbles, without being in any way deficient in power. 
This is important to bear in mind in many cases that 
may come under the physician's notice. I have known 
men hesitate about marrying when the Testes were 
very small, from, fear that they would be deficient in 
power, and it was with difficulty they could be con- 
vinced to the contrary. In one instance of a young 
man aged twenty-six, they were no larger than those of 
a child of nine years old, yet his powers were but little, 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 09 

if any, inferior to those of persons generally. After a 
great deal of hesitation, and much persuasion, he 
married and became the father of a large family. It 
is necessary to remark, however, that in these cases 
all the other organs were of proper size, and that the 
smallness of the Testes had existed from childhood, 
and was therefore a natural state. If they had de- 
creased in size, after having been properly developed, 
it would have been very different. The falling away 
or wasting of the Testes, which follows many diseases, 
and sometimes takes place without any assignable 
cause, is usually a serious matter, and is nearly certain 
to be followed by a loss of power. The injudicious 
use of certain drugs, particularly of Iodine, will fre- 
quently cause the Testes to waste, and so will the exha- 
lations from some metals, as lead, for instance, many 
workmen in which I have known so affected. In giv- 
ing an opinion in such cases, therefore, their previous 
history must always be known, as well as the condition 
of the other parts, and the physician will then have 
but little difficulty in coming to a proper decision. 
Sometimes one only will be small, and the other of 
average size, or one only may waste away, without 
injuring the other. 

An unusually large size of the Testes should always 
excite suspicion of its being the result of disease, and 
a most careful examination and enquiry should there- 
fore be made. If they have always been of that size, 
or nearly so, from Puberty, and especially if the other 
organs are large also, there may be nothing to excite 
apprehension. The symptoms of the different diseases 
hereafter described should, however, be carefully 
studied, particularly those that cause enlargement, as 
Hydrocele and Hernia Humoralis, for instance. I 
have known the Testes of a youth of fourteen to be 
much larger than those of most men, and yet perfectly 
healthy ; such cases of unusual development are not 
necessarily accompanied by extra power. 

In some instances the development of all the gen- 
ital organs is very tardy, owing to the slow growth of 



70 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

the Testes. I have seen a youth of nineteen that was 
in every respect in the same state of these parts as 
when about seven years old. He was also but very 
little grown in other parts of the body, having the 
appearance of one about twelve years old. In this 
case there were perfect evidences of sexual power, 
though slight, and all the parts were evidently healthy. 
It was, therefore, a case of torpid action, or retarded 
development, and I thought that, in all probability, 
nature could be aroused. I accordingly gave him 
directions to use stimulating lotions, with frictions and 
shampooing, and to have a stimulating diet, with regu- 
lar warm bathing and plenty of out-door exercise. 
The effects of this practice was soon evident in less 
than six months an evident increase had taken place, 
both in the size of the parts and in the intensity of the 
sexual feeling. The external parts which had prev- 
iously been perfectly bare and smooth, like those of a 
child, became covered ; the voice assumed a more 
manly tone, the muscles were more solid, the mind 
more active, and manhood began to dawn. This 
improvement continued going on till he was twenty- 
one, when there was but little difference between him 
and other young men of that age. If this case had 
not been promptly and properly attended to, in all 
probability no further development would ever have 
taken place, and an early death would have termi- 
nated his imperfect existence. To what age an im- 
provement of this kind impossible we cannot, of course, 
tell, though I feel sure it may be effected in older per- 
sons than is generally supposed, perhaps till nearly 
thirty. The younger, of course, the better. Several 
cases have been known of the Testes growing after 
twenty-six years old. 

Sometimes there appear to be Three Testicles, and 
possibly in some of these cases there may really be 
three, but more frequently one of the three bodies is 
either the epididymis, somewhat enlarged, and much 
separated from the Testis, or else it is a small tumor. 
Most of those that have been observed in dissection 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 71 

have been small harmless tumors, existing from birth. 
Three perfect Testicles, however, are occasionally 
found, but they are not always accompanied by any 
unusual sexual power. 

At other times there appears but one Testicle, or 
perhaps none, and I have known young men in the 
deepest distress from this cause. In some of these in- 
stances there is really but one organ, as has been 
proved after death, and yet the individual has had full 
average powers. It is more often the case, however, 
that these deficiencies are apparent rather than real. 
Before birth the Testes are contained in the Abdomen, 
and they usually descend into the Scrotum in the last 
month. It sometimes happens, however, that the de- 
scent of one or both does not take place, and the in- 
dividual then appears so far deficient. In these cases 
the power of the Testes is not impaired by their unusual 
position, but perhaps is often increased, and this has led 
uninformed persons to think that men sometimes had 
procreative powers without Testicles, because they could 
not be found. A man once died in one of the London 
Hospitals who had long been noted as having no Testi- 
cles, and yet having all the usual powers. On dissec- 
tion two perfect ones were found in the Abdomen, 
that had never come down, and thus the wonder was 
solved. These cases, however, are but rare. Dr. 
Marshall examined ten thousand eight hundred young 
recruits, among whom he found five in whom the 
right Testicle had not come down, and six in whom 
the left had not ; there being but one man in whom 
both were not descended. 

It is much better for the Testes to remain totally in 
the Abdomen than to descend only to the groin, as 
they sometimes do, because in the last position they 
are apt to be compressed, by the other parts crowding 
about them in the ring, and in consequence waste 
away. The partial, or non-descent, of the Testes 
must, however, always be considered an imperfection, 
and though it may not cause inconvenience, or loss of 
power, it is nevertheless always to be feared that it will. 



iJ DISEASES OF THK TESTES. 

The Testis itself is as liable to all its different diseases 
while in these unusual positions as when in the Scro- 
tum, and, unfortunately, cannot then be reached. 
The neighboring parts also become affected from it, 
and thus life may be lost from a simple affection which 
could have been completely removed if the Testis had 
been in its natural position. 

In some instances the retained Testes descend late 
in life, and if they then become fast in the ring great 
swelling and severe inflammation may result, with ulti- 
mate wasting away of the organs. Such cases have 
been mistaken for ruptures, and some men, from want 
of information, have thought that the Testicles really 
growed at that time, all at once. 

When there are really no Testicles from .birth, there 
is always an imperfect development of the whole system, 
and a total absence of sexual power or feeling. 

In some animals it is natural for the Testes never to 
descend, but always to remain in the Abdomen, and 
in others they descend only at certain seasons, that is, 
when they attain their periodical development, owing 
to the full growth of the animalcules. 

It is stated, on the authority of several travelers, 
that there is a tribe of Hottentots at the Cape of Good 
Hope that never have but one Testicle ; but many 
naturalists think that more likely it is a custom among 
them to remove one in youth. It is quite possible, 
however, that this deficiency may be natural, and it is 
not in any way more singular than many peculiarities 
observed in the genital organs of the females of those 
tribes. I have known two brothers, twins, one of 
whom had three Testes and the other but one. 

In some instances the two Testes have been found 
grown together, so as apparently to form but one, 
owing to absence of the usual septum. 

The Testicles are sometimes drawn so close up 
against the abdomen, owing to a contraction of the 
cremaster muscle, that they cannot be discovered 
without close examination, and are then often thought 
to be absent, though they are quite perfect, and even 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. J 3 

outside the body. Medical men have even testified 
that there were no Testicles in such cases as these, 
which shows the necessity for a close and thorough 
examination of such apparent monstrosities. 

This state of things is not dangerous in itself, but 
had better be removed if possible, because the Testes 
are likely to adhere to the neighboring parts and waste 
away, so as to cause perfect impotence. A surgical 
operation is necessary to liberate them, which is both 
difficult and somewhat dangerous. In some few dissec- 
tions the Testes have been found completely absent, and 
without any trace of their having existed. Sometimes 
the Vas Deferens exists by itself, and sometimes with 
the Epididymis, though at other times there are no 
traces of either. These cases of total congenital 
absence are, however, very rare, and are always indi- 
cated by deficiencies in other parts of the system. 

In some rare instances the Testes have descended 
into the Perineum, instead of the Scrotum, but most 
probably from some imperfection in the parts about 
the Perineum and Scrotum. 

In the course of my practice I have been consulted 
in many of these cases of Testicular anomalies, and 
have often had the pleasure of removing unfounded ap- 
prehensions, and of giving happiness and confidence to 
those who had previously been the victims of hopeless 
despair. 

HYDROCELE, OR DROPSY OF THE TESTICLES. 

This is sometimes called a swelled or watery Testi- 
cle. Properly speaking, this is but seldom an affection 
of the Testicles themselves, but of the Scrotum in 
which they are contained. There are three kinds of 
Hydrocele ; first that in which the fluid collects in the 
substance or tissues of the Scrotum ; secondly, that 
in which it is secreted by one of the coats of the Scro- 
tum ; and thirdly, that in which it collects in the sper- 
matic cord. 



74 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

First Variety of Hydrocele. — This is scientifically 
called Hydrocele CEdematodes, and it is usually con- 
nected with general dropsy, or arises from the treat- 
ment of some of the other varieties. It is, however, 
but seldom met with, and rarely arises of itself. In 
some cases it has been brought on by wearing an 
improperly constructed truss, by blows, or even by 
tight clothing, but much more frequently it is only a 
consequence of some other disease, particularly dropsy 
of the abdomen, which is likely to extend to the Scro- 
tum. In this form of disease the Testicle is usually 
softish at first, and when pressed the mark of the 
finger remains of a white color for some time after. As 
it progresses, however, the Scrotum becomes harder, 
and perfectly smooth, the Penis enlarges, particularly 
at the prepuce, and in very bad cases the skin inflames 
and sloughs away. 

The treatment of this form of Hydrocele must vary 
somewhat according to the conditions under which we 
find it. If it results from general dropsy it can be 
cured only by the removal of that, and will require 
but little local treatment. If there be any injurious 
pressure it must be immediately taken away, and fre- 
quently the doing so will effect an immediate improve- 
ment without anything further being done. 

The local treatment, after attending to the above 
directions, must consist of frequent bathing with cold 
alum water, one ounce to a pint, or of simple cold 
water- A suspensory bandage must also be worn 
constantly, except when the patient can remain per- 
fectly still, without standing too long. The bowels 
anust be kept free, and but little fluid drunk. The 
following mixture may be taken for four days, and 
then omitted four days, and so on alternately till it 
has foeen taken twelve days in all, unless the swelling 
is obviously going down after the first four days, which 
it will often do, in which case it need not be continued. 

r>> Hydriodate ofPotassa, thirty-six grains; Distilled 
water, one ounce. Dose, ten drops, morning and 
night, in half a tumbler of water. 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. <5 

Second Variety of Hydrocele. — This is usually called 
Hydrocele of the Tunica Vaginalis, the fluid being se- 
creted by the inner coat of the Testicle, and, therefore, 
contained in the cavity of the Scrotum. The swelling 
is observed on one side only, in most cases, like a 
smooth egg or pear-shaped tumor, of a natural color. 
It begins at the bottom of the Scrotum, and gradu- 
ally progresses upwards, until it sometimes reaches 
the top and presses against the abdomen. It is quite 
soft to the touch at first, and the fluid may be dis- 
tinctly felt to fluctuate or shift its position as the tumor 
is moved. As the disease progresses, however, it be- 
comes harder, and does not fluctuate, and in form it 
becomes more decidedly oblong. 

From the above description, it will be seen that this 
form of Hydrocele is easily distinguished from that 
previously described, because in this the swelling is 
observed on one side, and commences at the bottom, 
while in the other it is diffused more or less over the 
whole Scrotum at once, and is evidently in the skin, or 
cellular tissue. Sometimes, it is true, both halves of 
the Scrotum may begin to fill up with fluid, but even 
then each one is sufficiently distinct from the other 
for both to be distinguished, and for the nature of the 
affection to be readily seen. 

A very good way to examine a Hydrocele is to place 
a candle behind it and look in front, when it will usu- 
ally appear semi-transparent, and sometimes so per- 
fectly so that the Testicle may be distinctly seen in the 
middle of the water, like the yelk of an egg in the 
midst of the white. When the Testicle cannot be 
seen in this way, it is often difficult to find it, and its 
position can only be ascertained by a hardish feeling 
in the back part of the swelling near the top. 

The quantity of fluid secreted in some of these 
cases is very great, as much as six quarts having been 
removed by Mr. Cline, from Gibbon che great Histo- 
rian. There may, however, be but a small portion, 
and it may remain for many years, or even during a 
person's life, without increasing, though the proba- 



PLATE IX, 
A case of Hydrocele laid open. 

Fig. i. a. The Penis much contracted. — b. The Scro- 
tum. — c. The Testicle. — d. The Vas Deferens. — e. 
The cut edges of the Scrotum and the different 
coats.— -f. The Tunica Vaginalis, which, it will be 
seen, is double, from being reflected over the Testi- 
cle, which is on the outside of it. — g. Is the water, 
which is between the two folds of the Tunic. — h. 
The Spermatic cord. 

Fig. 2. External appearance of the Hydrocele, show- 
ing the veins also in a case of Varicocele, i. The 
distended Vein. 

Fig. 3. Wasted Testicle. 1. Shows the left Testicle 
perfect. 2. Shows the right Testicle wasted away, 
as it often does from masturbation. 



76 




Fig. % 



FicrS 




78 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

bility is against this, and in some cases it increases 
very rapidly. 

It is singular also that even in some very bad cases 
there is but little distress, and, except from the incon- 
venience of its weight and size, many patients suffer 
but little annoyance from it. Sometimes, however, it 
causes an annoying sense of uneasiness and pressure 
in the Testes and groin, and occasionally even pro- 
duces numbness of the limbs. When very large the 
Penis is drawn into the swelling, so that it appears 
smaller, and its erection becomes difficult and painful ; 
the spermatic cord is also pulled down, and becomes ten- 
der, and the motion of the limbs is much interfered with. 

There is not much to be feared from a Hydrocele of 
this kind, if the general health be good, unless it be 
complicated with a real swelling of the Testicle ; the 
case then becomes very difficult, and nothing can be 
done till the Testicle itself is cured. I have known a 
man of sixty years of age who had a Hydrocele from 
the time he was fourteen ; it was of a considerable 
size, but had never much incommoded him, nor in 
any way interfered with his health or functions. The 
difference in the symptoms of a Hydrocele and a 
swelled Testicle will be pointed out in the article on 
Sarcocele. 

The causes of this form of Hydrocele are but little 
known. It is undoubtedly brought about in some 
cases by injuries, such as blows, pressure upon the 
saddle in horse-riding, and by badly made trusses. 
Too much standing will also dispose to it, particularly 
in those with a relaxed state of the muscles. In gen- 
eral, however, it results from some constitutional ten- 
dency, the nature of which is unknown, and which 
cannot be ascertained before the effect is produced. 
In most instances its beginning is altogether un- 
known to the patient, and it progresses so slowly and 
insidiously, that an advanced stage may be reached 
before anything wrong is suspected. I have known 
young men suppose it was merely a natural increased 
growth of the parts. 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES i\1 

The Treatment, — In the early stages it is sometimes 
sufficient to use cold lotions two or three times a day, 
as prescribed for the first variety, particularly that of 
alum. Frequent cold bathing, in addition, will assist, 
and, if the bowels be kept free and but little fluid be 
drunk, the Hydrocele will occasionally go down con- 
siderably, or even disappear altogether. I would ad- 
vise any one to continue this simple treatment even if 
it only arrested the disease, for though it might not 
positively cure, at first, still, if it keeps matters from 
becoming worse, nature herself may work a cure in 
time. A suspensory bandage should be worn from 
the very first, and as much rest should be taken as 
circumstances will allow. After using the simple 
alum-wash for some time, if the swelling still con- 
tinues, the following lotion may be applied instead, 
night and morning. 

g,. Powdered Peruvian Bark, one ounce; boiling 
water, one pint. Boil these for ten minutes and then 
add, when cold, half a pint of spirits of Camphor. 

This is, perhaps, . the best lotion that ever was used 
for this purpose, and has done more good than all 
others put together. The parts should be bathed with 
it for about ten minutes before the suspensory bandage 
is put on in the morning, and for the same time after 
it is removed at night. 

In some cases the following wash has been found to 
succeed even where the other did not. 

r>> Sugar of Lead, one ounce ; Laudanum, a tea- 
spoonful ; Water, one pint. 

This is to be used as a lotion, the same as the other, 
and both must be applied cold. 

Very little can be done by internal medication, ex- 
cept to keep the bowels free, though occasionally the 
following recipe may assist. 

r>> Vinegar of Colchicum ; Vinegar of Squills ; and 
Nitric Ether, of each half an ounce — to be mixed. Of 
this mixture a teaspoonful may be taken in a drink 
of water, three or four times a day. Frequent bathing, 
and clothing the body warmly, are also beneficial. 



80 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

When all these fail, however, as they too often do, 
some kind of operation must be resorted to, either 
to give temporary relief or with a view to cure. It is 
customary, for the first purpose, to puncture the sac of 
the Scrotum with a sharp instrument and let out the 
water. If nothing more be done than simply letting 
out the fluid, it will usually fill again, though occa- 
sionally it does not. To effect a perfect cure, the 
Scrotum is injected through the same wound, afte" the 
fluid has all escaped, with some astringent solution. 
Cold water only is used by some practitioners, but more 
frequently a mixture of two parts port wine to one of 
water. Solutions of Iodine, and of Hydriodate of 
Potassa have also been used, and in some cases the 
same fluid that was discharged, but the port wine and 
water appear to act the best of any. 

The manner in which this injection appears to effect 
the cure is this, it excites a considerable degree of in- 
flammation in the Testicle, and also in the coats of the 
Tunics, so that they grow together, and in this way the 
cavity in which the water accumulated is entirely 
obliterated. 

In most cases, if properly performed, this operation 
is quite successful, causes but little pain, and is per- 
fectly free from danger. In some instances, however, 
it is unsuccessful, owing to the fluid not being well in- 
jected, and occasionally there is much more inflamma- 
tion caused by it than what is desirable, attended by 
serious constitutional irritation. The puncturing in- 
strument, and the tube to convey the fluid, must be 
very carefully introduced, so as not to injure the Testi- 
cle, but they must also be carried sufficiently far to en- 
sure all the water being discharged. The proper place 
to make the puncture is nearly at the bottom of the 
Tumor, behind ; the fluid may remain in about five 
minutes, and about as much must be injected as was 
drawn out. 

Sometimes a difficulty occurs in this way : after the 
fluid has escaped the Tunica Vaginalis draws together, 
so that the opening into it does not correspond with 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 81 

the opening outside, and if the instrument has become 
displaced, before the injection is thrown in, it is diffi- 
cult again to introduce it. In fact, it is better, if this 
occurs, to leave off till another day, and operate again, 
for the attempt, if too often made, may cause serious 
and useless inflammation. There is also danger, if the 
instrument is put in again, that it may not go into the 
cavity, but merely into the substance of the skin, and 
the fluid is then thrown into the cellular tissue, and not 
only does no good, but may even remain, and produce 
a real dropsy of the Scrotum, or Hydrocele (Edematodes, 
the same as described under the head of the first 
variety. 

In fact, some Surgeons purposely perform the opera- 
tion in such a way as to change the Hydrocele into a 
simple dropsy of the Scrotum, by letting the fluid into 
the cellular tissue, by simply introducing a needle. 
The new disease is certainly more easily cured than the 
former one, and the pressure of the water on the Scrotum 
often prevents any more being secreted in the Tunic, but 
still in many cases a cure is not effected, and sometimes 
it is made more difficult. I would much rather advise 
the total discharge and injection. 

This operation is very simple and successful in skill- 
ful hands, but often fails from want of skill or proper 
care. If too much inflammation follows, poultices must 
be applied and other simple means used to subdue it, 
and the patient must keep still. It must be borne in 
mind, however, that considerable inflammation is 
necessary to effect a cure. I once knew a man who 
operated upon himself with a common penknife and a 
small catheter. He effectually discharged all the 
water, but knew nothing about injecting anything in 
return. At the end of two years there was but little 
accumulated again, and he thought so little of what he 
had done, that he said he should always repeat the 
operation himself, as often as might be necessary. 

It is sometimes necessary to do this to young 
children, and it must be remembered that in them the 
Testicle is much lower than in adults, and greater care 
is, therefore, needed not to wound it. 



82 DISEASES OF THK TESTES. 

Some practitioners bring on the necessary inflam- 
mation by snipping off a bit of the membrane, instead 
of using an injection, and the operation succeeds well. 

A simple dressing of mild ointment, or even of wet 
cloths, is all that is needed after the injection is with- 
drawn. 

Some practitioners have used Setons, and others 
Galvanism, to cure Hydrocele, but though each method 
has been successful in some cases, yet they are not 
more so than the injection, which is much more simple, 
and causes much less pain. Either of these methods 
may, however, be tried, if that fails. 

After the water is drawn off, the Testicle should be 
carefully examined, as it can then be readily felt, 
because if there be any swelling of it, or any indications 
of cancer, the injection must not be thrown in till that 
has been beneficially treated. 

In some persons the water will accumulate in spite 
of all, and it is necessary to discharge it frequently. 
In infants it will often disappear spontaneously, without 
any treatment, but it rarely does so in adults, though I 
have known some in whom brisk exercise alone would 
disperse it. ' 

Sometimes this form of Hydrocele is congenital or 
exists from birth. In these cases the fluid descends 
from the Abdomen, the opening between it and the 
Scrotum, by which the Testicle descended, not having 
closed. Many persons have been deceived by this 
affection, and have taken it for a rupture, but a little 
careful examination will soon disclose the truth. By 
gently compressing the tumor the fluid will rise into the 
Abdomen, through the ring, and return again when the 
pressure is withdrawn. To a certain extent this trouble 
is more general than is supposed, and is frequently 
ascribed to wrong causes. It is advisable to have it 
attended to as early as possible, because there is 
danger, if left over the first ?nontk, of its continuing 
during the whole of childhood, or perhaps even till 
adult age, and leading to other derangements. 

In the early stages, and sometimes even after it has 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 83 

existed long, it is possible to cure it in a very simple 
manner. The water must be gently pressed back into 
the Abdomen, and then a truss or bandage of some 
kind must be worn, so constructed that the pad will 
press exactly on the ring, and thus prevent the fluid 
from returning. In a short time the passage grows up, 
and there is then no further danger. The period re- 
quired to effect a cure varies much in different cases ; 
thus in some it will be complete in two or three weeks, 
while in others it requires as many months, or even 
much longer. Cold lotions must be used in these 
cases as with adults. 

In case of failure with these means, which will some- 
times happen, the only other remedy is the injection, 
the same as already described. The operation is pre- 
cisely the same as for an adult, but must be conducted 
with more care, there being more risk of serious inflam- 
mation. It must be recollected also that while the 
injection is being made the upper part of the Scrotum 
must be held firmly together, just by the ring, to pre- 
vent the injected fluid from passing up into the Abdo- 
men, which it would otherwise do, and perhaps cause 
serious trouble. A : truss or bandage must be worn for 
some time after the operation, to prevent any more 
fluid coming down, and also to retain the bowels in 
their place. 

Third Variety of Hydrocele, — In this form of Hy- 
drocele, as already explained, the seat of the watery 
effusion is not in the Scrotum, but in the Spermatic 
Cord. It may occur in two ways, first in the substance, 
or cellular tissue of the cord; and, secondly, within cer- 
tain cavities in the sheath or tube itself. 

The first form of Spermatic Hydrocele is very rare, 
and is but seldom of much account. It is similar in 
its nature to the first form of Hydrocele in the Scrotum, 
or Hydrocele GLdematodes; in fact, it is the same 
disease only confined to the sheath of the spermatic 
cord. Its causes are also in all probability the same, 
and it requires the same treatment. When it results 



84 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

from general dropsy, which is usually the case, no cure 
can be expected until that is remedied. 

The palliative treatment must consist in wearing a 
bandage and using cold astringent lotions, and it is but 
seldom that anything more is required. Occasionally, 
however, the swelling becomes so great as to cause 
serious inconvenience, and the patient insists upon hav- 
ing relief immediately. Under such circumstances the 
only mode of proceeding is to open the swelling, and 
so let the fluid escape. There is, however, some dan- 
ger in this, and in most cases it is better not to perform 
the operation. Many persons have mistaken this affec- 
tion for a small hernia or a swelled vein. 

The other form of Spermatic Hydrocele is usually 
termed Encysted Hydrocele of the Spermatic Cord, 
because the fluid is contained in one or more sacs. 
The swelling in this case is in the form of an egg, and 
situated between the Testicle and the groin. It is 
usually firm to the touch, with no fluctuation, and per- 
fectly distinct from the Testicle, which may be felt 
below it. Sometimes the sac of fluid is near to the 
ring,, and can be pressed up into the Abdomen, so that 
it will disappear, but only to return immediately the 
pressure is withdrawn. In such cases it may easily be 
mistaken for a hernia or rupture, unless proper care be 
taken. On examination, however, it will be found that 
the vessels of the spermatic cord can be distinctly felt 
even when the tumor is down, by merely pressing it 
on one side, which is not the case in rupture. The 
functions of the bowels also are not interfered with in 
Hydrocele, while they are very much so in Hernia, 
when it is down. 

Occasionally the watery tumor descends much lower 
than usual, and may then be taken for Hydrocele of 
the Tunica Vaginalis. It is only requisite, however, to 
remember that when the fluid is contained in the 
Scrotum it surrounds the Testicle, which can scarcely 
be felt through it, but when it is contained in a sac, in 
the sheath of the cord, it is always either above or on 
one side of the Testicle, which is quite separate from it. 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. S5 

The treatment should consist at first in fomentation, 
as directed for the other varieties, and in keeping the 
bowels perfectly free. This plan is the best one with 
children, who are often afflicted in this way. A mix- 
ture of two parts alcohol and one of water is very good 
to use night and morning, or either of the recipes al- 
ready given. With regard to internal medicines, they 
are perhaps less proper in this variety than in either of 
the others, but if thought necessary there are none 
better than those before advised. 

Sometimes, especially in children, a small puncture 
may be made and the fluid let out, but in adults this 
is often of little use, as the sac fills up again. To pre- 
vent this the port wine injection must be used, or the 
sac must be fairly cut out. Some practitioners merely 
lance it open the whole length, and Sir Astley Cooper 
was accustomed to insert a Seton, a plan which I have 
known to succeed frequently, both in children and 
adults. The particular plan to be pursued must, how- 
ever, depend upon the circumstances of the case, and 
I should advise every one to hesitate about submitting 
to any operation, if they can keep tolerably comfort- 
able, and get no worse without it, which they nearly 
always can if they will persevere with the simple direc- 
tions given, and wear a suspensory bandage. 

In children the following lotion, applied freely two 
or three times a day, will in most cases cause the water 
to disperse without any further treatment. 

r>> Hydrochlorate of Ammonia, one ounce ; Distilled 
Vinegar, four ounces ; Water, six ounces. 

The same lotion, with half the water, will also be 
excellent for adults. 

SARCOCELE, OR CHRONIC FLESHY SWELLING OF THE 
TESTICLE. 

This affection is the real swelled Testicle, or chronic 
fleshy enlargement of the substance of that organ. 

The causes that lead to this enlargement are various, 
and some of them not yet understood. Cancer and 



86 DISEASES OF THIS TE8TE3. 

Scrofula are perhaps the two most frequent causes, but 
it often arises when they do not exist, and when no 
other immediate agency can be detected. Sometimes 
a chronic swelling will take place in the Testicle, and 
after existing for a considerable time, entirely disappear 
without any evil consequences. More frequently, how- 
ever, the result is more serious, and a malignant tumor 
is eventually developed, either Cancerous, Scrofulous, 
or Sarcomatous, 

Sarcomatous Tumors are of various kinds, and are 
the same in the Testicle as in other parts of the body. 
The most frequent kind is that called Medullary, be- 
cause it resembles the substance of the brain. It is a 
most dangerous affection, and unless attended to at 
the very earliest moment, is nearly sure to be fatal. 
The whole substance of the Testicle is converted into a 
kind of white pulp, similar in appearance to the brain, 
and in a short time the disease is propagated along the 
absorbents till it attacks all the neighboring part.3. 
The glands in the groin soon swell to an enormous size, 
and slough and bleed, and eventually the lower part of 
the Abdomen becomes affected in the same way till 
the parts are all destroyed and the patient sinks. This 
is thought by some to be the same disease as Fungus 
Hamatodes, and in many respects it closely resembles 
Cancer. There is, however, sufficient difference be- 
tween them to enable the surgeon to distinguish with 
ease, but to the patient the distinction is of little con- 
sequence, each being equally dangerous, and the treat- 
ment being the same for both. 

Sometimes the mistake may be made of confounding 
Sarcoma with Hydrocele, unless a strict examination be 
made. In Hydrocele it must be recollected the swell- 
ing begins at the bottom, and gradually extends up- 
wards to the abdominal ring, but no farther ; it is also 
semi-transparent, and fluctuating. In Sarcoma, on 
the contrary, the swelling is evidently in the whole 
substance of the Testicle at once, and extends upwards 
into the spermatic cord ; it is also not in the least 
transparent, and is much heavier than water. From 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 87 

want of attention to these points of difference the 
swelled Testicle has often been punctured, to let out the 
water. 

Cancer in the Testicle is precisely the same in its ori- 
gin and progress as in any other part of the body. The 
Testicle becomes the seat of a hard tumor, through 
which dart deep-seated lancinating pains, which shoot 
up to the loins, and down the limbs. Eventually this 
becomes an open sloughing ulcer which destroys the 
substance of the organ and gradually extends to the ab- 
domen, causing a profuse offensive discharge and a 
rapid impairing of the general health. 

Scrofula of the Testicle. — This disease is scarcely 
ever met with except in those who plainly exhibit a 
scrofulous habit of body. It causes a swelling of the 
Testes similar to that of Cancer in its feel and appear- 
ance, but unaccompanied by any of the lancinating 
pains. When the tumor is cut into, it seems filled 
with a whitish or yellow substance like curds or soft 
cheese, along with a small quantity of pus. The com- 
mencement of this affection may be very slow and in- 
sidious, and for a long time, even after it has become 
fully established, nothing serious may be indicated. 
There is nothing to alarm the patient much until the 
tumor breaks open and becomes an ulcer, its progress 
then is often very rapid, and all the neighboring parts 
speedily become diseased and destroyed. 

The causes of that peculiar tendency to Scrofula and 
Cancer which many persons exhibit are as yet unknown 
to us, they are, however, in all probability what is 
termed Constitutional, and not produced by any 
accidental agency after birth, though there may be 
many causes that will excite or call out these diseases, 
when they would otherwise have remained dormant, 
either for a longer time, or perhaps altogether. 

The Treatment of the various forms of Sarcocele 
above described may be given in a few words, for un- 
fortunately but little can be done with them. 

In some few cases of simple swelling, of the Medul- 
lary or fatty character, it may perhaps be dispersed, 



88 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

in the very earliest stages, by using Leeches and cold 
lotions or mercurial ointment externally, with mercury 
and iodine internally, but this can seldom be depended 
upon. Unless such means evidently decrease the 
swelling immediately, no further time should be lost with 
them or the chance may go by of doing good by other 
means. The removal of the Testicle, by an operation, 
offers the only chance of effecting a certain cure, and 
this is of no use either, unless performed at first, for 
if the disease has progressed till the neighboring parts 
are attacked, the removal of the Testicle will not check 
it. Unfortunately many patients delay having this 
necessary operation performed till it is too late, and 
they then conclude it is in itself of no use. It must be 
borne in mind that some of these cases are very rapid in 
their extension, and that the surrounding parts may be 
deeply affected without giving any sign of it. In Can- 
cer, especially, it is necessary to operate as early as 
possible, for even when the Testicle itself shows but 
slight signs of the disease, it may have extended to the 
loins and abdomen. There have undoubtedly been 
many cases of Sarcocele, of all the above kinds, that 
have been entirely cured by removing the Testicle, and 
the disease has never appeared again. 

In general only one Testicle is diseased, and that 
only needs removing, though there is danger of both 
becoming affected by delay. The operation itself is 
comparatively simple, and not attended with so much 
pain or danger as many might suppose it to be. 

It is very common, as before remarked, to find 
Sarcocele accompanied by Hydrocele, and frequently 
on evacuating the water in Hydrocele the Testis is 
found enlarged, though there were previously no signs 
of it. 

It is generally conceded that blows or other violence 
may produce simple induration or hardness of the 
Testicles, leading to medullary or fatty tumors, but 
not to Cancer or Scrofula, though they may excite 
such disease to break out. The too frequent irritation 
of bougies and injections is also suspected of injuring 
in the same way. 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 89 



FUNGUS OF THE TESTICLE. 

This affection is different from either of those previ- 
ously described, though it has some resemblance, at 
certain stages, to Cancer. It is fortunately more cap- 
able of being beneficially treated, however, and is not 
so likely to extend to other parts. 

It is supposed to be caused by bruises or other 
violence, or by Gonorrhoea and Gleet, particularly 
when injections have been used. The first indication 
is a simple swelling without pain, which bursts and 
forms an abscess discharging pus, and from the open- 
ing a Fungus begins to protrude. This Fungus may 
attain an immense size, if not removed, extending to 
the abdomen and becoming j/ery virulent. The dis- 
charge also may become so profuse as to cause much 
general debility and constitutional irritation. 

In the first stages of the swelling, when it is known 
to arise from external violence, it may sometimes be 
reduced by Leeches, warm fomentations, and poul- 
tices, with purgatives used internally, and even after 
the abscess has opened fomentations and poultices 
may be sufficient to prevent any extension of the mis- 
chief. When the Fungus has appeared these simple 
means become useless, and resort must be had either 
to caustic or the knife to remove it. In my opinion 
the caustic is the best remedy, and seldom fails to 
remove the diseased growth without any injury to 
other parts. If the disease has not progressed too far, 
it may often be cured without injuring the Testicle at 
all, though it was formerly thought necessary to 
castrate in every case, and some practitioners even do 
so now. 

I once knew a man Who had one of these Fungus 
growths, arising from a bruise, who was cured by the 
daily use of powdered burnt alum, dusted over the 
Fungus, and followed by a warm Linseed poultice. 
This was done morning and night, and by these means 
only, combined with the use of simple purgatives, and 
the solution of hydriodate of potassa internally, as 



90 DISEASES OF THE TE8TES. 

directed for Hydrocele, he fully recovered in about six 
weeks. The Testicle, however, remained hard, and in 
all probability its power was lost. 

In all cases of bruising, or other violence, the timely 
use of rest, poultices, and warm fomentations may 
prevent many of these evils. 

There are several other kinds of tumors and swell- 
ings of the Testicles occasionally met with besides 
these mentioned, but they do not differ essentially 
either in their nature or treatment, and often it is 
scarcely possible to distinguish between them. One 
peculiar form of Cancer is frequently met with in Eng- 
land amongst chimney-sweeps , and is caused by the 
irritation of the soot lodged in the furrows of the 
Scrotum. It is met with sometimes, but rarely, on 
the hand or foot. It is commonly termed the Sweep* 
Cancer, 

HERNIA HUMORALIS, ORCHITIS, OR INFLAMMATION 
OF THE TESTICLES. 

This sometimes appears to arise from 'some un- 
known constitutional cause, and comes on very slowly, 
but more usually it is from some obvious agency, and 
assumes from the first an acute form. It arises fre- 
quently from blows, falls, hard riding, and strains, but 
most generally from the use of injections and bougies, 
in Gonorrhoea, and stricture, or from the performing 
of operations like those for Hydrocele. I have also 
known it to follow intense sexual excitement, where 
gratification was impossible, and the semen had no 
tendency to escape involuntarily. In children it very 
frequently follows, or accompanies the Mumps. 

Inflammation of the Testicle usually commences 
with slight pain and soreness in the part, attended by 
swelling which is at first soft and yielding, but gradually 
becomes hard, and sometimes hot and very painful. 
The Scrotum loses all its roughness by swelling so 
much, becoming smooth and red, and occasionally so 
tender that it can scarcely be touched. As the infiam- 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 91 

mation progresses the swelling extends up the spermatic 
cord, and severe pains may be felt in the loins, and 
sometimes even in the limbs, till the patient suffers the 
most excruciating agony. 

In many, even of the most severe cases, but little pain 
is experienced, and the inflammation will subside under 
proper treatment, leaving no evil effects whatever be- 
hind. There is danger, however, of its being followed 
by abscess, or Hydrocele, if neglected, even if it does 
not end in tumor or Fungus. A loss of sexual power 
is also apt to follow inflammation of the Testicle, either 
from its deranging the structure of the organ or from 
its obliterating the passage in the Vas Deferens, and 
thus preventing ever after the passage of the Semen 
from the Testicles to the Urethra. 

Orchitis arises much oftener from Gonorrhoea than 
from any other cause, the inflammation extending from 
the Urethra, along the Vas Deferens, till it reaches the 
Epididymis, and finally the Testicle. The Epididymis 
is always first attacked in these cases, and very fre- 
quently the disease extends no further, when it is called 
an Epididymitis. If it reaches the Testicle it is then 
called Hernia Humoralis. 

When the inflammation accompanies Gonorrhoea 
it will generally be found to arise whenever the dis- 
charge is suddenly checked, and immediately the 
discharge is allowed to return the inflammation often 
ceases. This shows the close sympathy there is 
between the Urethra and the Testes, and what danger 
there is in irritating the Urethra in any way. I have 
known inflammation of the Testes arise in o?ie hour 
after using a strong injection. 

The treatment of this severe affliction must consist, 
in the first place, in perfect rest, on the back, the Scro- 
tum being suported by a suspensory bandage, or truss. 

Cold lotions must be freely and frequently used, and 
the bowels opened freely with salts or castor oil. No 
stimulating food or drink must be taken, and the mind 
must not be agitated, nor the feelings excited in any- 
way. The best lotion is a mixture of half a pint of 



92 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

water to a half pint of alcohol, with a large spoonful of 
laudanum added. If the pain be very severe this lotion 
may be made hot, or a hot linseed or bread poultice 
may be applied, till the pain subsides. A hot bath is 
also frequently of service. 

A perseverance in these means will usually reduce 
the inflammation and pain in one or two days, unless 
the exciting cause continues to operate. In very 
severe cases, however, particularly those from bruises, 
it may be necessary to apply Leeches, or to open some 
of the veins of the Scrotum, which nearly always gives 
relief if the blood flows freely. If the pain be so bad 
that the patient cannot rest, he may take twenty or 
thirty drops of Laudanum at bed-time in a little flax- 
seed tea or barley water, or in simple water alone, if 
these are not to be obtained conveniently. The follow- 
ing pills are the best for this purpose, however, when 
they do not disagree with the stomach, which unfor- 
tunately they are apt to do, but they may be tried. 

r^. Opium, with soap, twenty grains; Camphor, 
half a drachm ; to be made up into twelve pills, with 
as much simple mucilage as may be requisite. One 
of these may be taken every six hours if requisite. 

The following ointment, applied externally, may 
also give great relief from pain when the lotion fails to 
do so. 

fy. Belladonna Ointment, two ounces; Camphor, 
one drachm ; Paregoric Elixir, one drachm. 

This must be mixed into an ointment, and a portion 
rubbed carefully over the tender parts, as often as the 
pain becomes severe. 

When the inflammation has been fully subdued there 
is danger of the Testicle being left permanently hard- 
ened, or indurated, which is nearly sure to destroy its 
power, if it does not originate other diseases. To pre- 
vent this, if the slightest hardness remains, it must be 
frequently bathed with hot water, and poulticed, or if 
these fail it must be rubbed with the Camphorated 
Mercurial Ointment. Galvanism has been used with 
success when the hardness resisted all other means, 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 93 

and as it is a safe remedy, it may be tried. The only 
internal medicine likely to be of use is the solution of 
Hydriodate of Potassa, before directed, and even this 
should be but seldom taken. The regular use of the 
Camphorated Mercurial Ointment, followed by hot 
fomentations, is the most generally successful treat- 
ment. 

The best remedy in some cases of acute Orchitis, 
particularly when arising from the sudden stoppage of 
a Gonorrhceal discharge, is compression. This is 
effected by means of strips of sticking plaster, which 
are stuck firmly around the organ, and also passed 
underneath, the pieces being about a* quarter of an 
inch wide, and long enough to go round and meet. 
These, of course, cross each other, and when drawn 
pretty tight and made to adhere fast, they press con- 
siderably, and draw the whole organ together. The 
parts require to be shaved to apply them, and they 
must be re-applied as often as they work loose, or 
as fast as the swelling shrinks. In most cases the 
patient experiences great and immediate relief from 
this application, owing to the support it gives ; it must 
always be used, however, with the suspensory bandage. 

Compression is, in general, only appropriate in cases 
of acute Orchitis arising from Gonorrhoea, though it 
may be advantageously resorted to, in some few in- 
stances, when it originates from other causes. I have 
used it when the swelling arose from intense sexual 
excitement, and also in one or two instances from 
blows, and with advantage, but generally the treat- 
ment before given will obviate the necessity for com- 
pression, if it be persevered in. Latterly the com- 
pression has been effected by means of Collodion, a 
substance made by dissolving gun cotton in ether, 
which sticks much more forcibly, and is applied more 
readily. 

The symptoms of Epididymitis are the same, and so 
is the treatment, as when the whole organ is attacked, 
which it is nearly sure to be eventually, if the Epidid- 
ymitis continues. 



94 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

There is always reason to fear that a severe attack of 
Orchitis will permanently injure the Testicle, more or 
less, by obliterating some of the Seminal Tubes, even 
if it does not close the Vas Deferens, or harden the 
Epididymis. One Testicle may, however, be inflamed 
and suffer, while the other remains perfectly sound. 
After having been once inflamed the Testicle appears 
more susceptible of the same misfortune again, so that 
those who have suffered from it should be as careful as 
possible to avoid subsequent attacks, or the evil effects 
will probably increase each time. Impotence not un- 
frequently follows Orchitis. 

Sometimes the inflammation ends in suppuration, 
the matter escaping by numerous little sinuses or 
openings, which eventually close and heal when all 
is discharged. In all these cases, however, the Testi- 
cle is more or less wasted, and sometimes entirely de- 
stroyed. At other times the pus will not discharge at 
first, but assume the form of a firmish curdy mass, 
similar to the substance of the brain, and remain for a 
long time. The organ is then much more liable than 
before to inflammation, and its internal structure 
gradually undergoes a change by which its secreting 
powers are totally lost. In some of these instances the 
Testicle becomes nearly as hard as a stone, and on being 
dissected appears much like cartilage or bone. 

In some persons Orchitis much resembles Rheuma- 
tism, being affected by the changes of the weather, or by 
exposure, and coming and going again in a short time. 
Indeed, some writers speak of it then as Rheumatism 
of the Testicle, and treat it the same as that affection 
in other parts of the body. I have known some men 
so extremely sensitive in this organ that an attack of 
Orchitis was sure to follow if they merely pressed the 
Testicles on crossing the limbs, and especially if they 
rode on horseback. In fact, many a severe case has 
arisen from being thrown forward upon the pommel of 
the saddle. 

Inflammation of the Testicle sometimes appears in 
very young infants, not more than a few days old, and 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 95 

without our being able to assign any cause. I have 
thought sometimes that it arose from Teething, and at 
other times from an improper mode of carrying the 
child, by which these organs were bruised. I saw one 
instance wherein the inflammation appeared on the day 
of birth, which was very severe. In general, these 
infantile cases can be cured by simple fomentations, or 
cold lotions, with a dose or two of castor oil. When 
very severe a Leech may be applied, and three or four 
grains of the Powder of Mercury and Chalk given. 
When arising from Mumps it usually subsides when 
the primary cause is removed, though it may remain 
afterwards, and must then be treated as above advised. 

It is somewhat disputed among medical men whether 
these inflammations in infants ever permanently injure 
the Testicle or not, but I am persuaded they often do 
so, and, in all probability, many a man has been made 
impotent for life by this affection when a child. It is, 
therefore, of the first importance not to neglect this 
trouble, though it may be but slight, as the after 
effects may be serious. 

It is proper, to remark here that tne Mumps arise in 
adults as well as in children, and that they may affect 
the Testicles, and cause impotence, as well at one 
period as at another. Such cases as these afford a 
singular proof of that remarkable sympathy which ex- 
ists between distant parts of the body, but the nature 
of which we cannot explain. 

Either of the following Recipes give excellent cooling 
lotions, applicable to all cases. 

$:. Lime-water, one ounce ; Alcohol, seven ounces ; 
mixed together. 

rj. Hydrochlorate of Ammonia, one drachm; Cold 
Spring-water, five ounces ; Alcohol, one ounce ; mix 
together. 

The last lotion is an excellent one to apply to the 
Scrotum and Perineum. In many persons, however, 
hot fomentations succeed much better than cold 
lotions. 

It is often very beneficial, particularly when the pain 



96 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

is severe, to cause a little nausea or vomiting. For 
which purpose a quarter of a grain of Tartar Emetic 
may be given every three or four hours, till the effect 
is produced. This frequently gives great relief, and 
in a short time, when all other means fail. 

In very obstinate cases attended with pain, two or 
three grains of Calomel should be given, at bed-time, 
mixed with eight or ten grains of Dover's Powder. 
This may be given two or three times a week. 

It is sometimes a good plan to use the Plaster of 
Ammonia and Mercury to strap the Testicle with, in 
the manner before described, so as to gain the ad- 
vantages of Compression and the effects of Mercury 
together. 

If the inflammation and tenderness all subsides, but 
the swelling and hardness continues, the following 
solution may be painted over the Scrotum every three 
or four days. 

1^. Iodine, one drachm ; Iodide of P'otassum, half a 
drachm ; Alcohol, one ounce ; dissolve all together. 

In many persons, particularly those of a Scrofulous 
habit, Acute Orchitis has a tendency to assume the 
Chronic form, after the first severe symptoms have sub- 
sided, and this is perhaps a worse state than the other. 
In Chronic Orchitis a deposit of yellowish matter takes 
place, in different parts of the Testicle, at first soft but 
gradually becoming harder, till at last the organ feels 
like a stone. This matter blocks up the Seminiferous 
Tubes and destroys their power of secretion, so that 
impotence ensues. It was formerly the custom to call 
such cases Schirrkus, but this is improper, as it might 
lead to the idea that they assume a malignant form, 
which is not the case. Chronic Orchitis may either fol- 
low from the acute form, or it may arise spontaneously, 
like Scrofulous affections of other parts; and it also 
frequently follows a long course of intemperance or 
licentious indulgence, and may even be produced by 
the long continued and injudicious use of Mercury. 

This form of the disease may give rise to but little 
inconvenience for a long time, though the swelling may 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 97 

be of considerable size, unless a blow, or sprain be 
experienced, when the symptoms become immediately 
acute, and relief is sought for. Usually in a few weeks 
the swelling is observed to pci7it in some particular 
part of the Scrotum, and eventually it breaks, dis- 
charging some pus, together with a Fungus-looking 
body, which appears rough and bleeding. In a short 
time the opening enlarges and more or less of the 
Testicle itself passes through, the whole forming a 
granulated tumor of a yellowish white color, studded 
with pale red or black patches. This tumor is tightly 
embraced round its neck by the edges of the opening 
through which it passed, and which become very thick 
and red. A thin watery discharge flows from it, often 
mixed with semen, but rarely with blood. 

As soon as this break occurs, and the parts pass 
through, great relief is felt, and the disease may 
remain for a long time without undergoing any further 
change. The tumor itself is rarely tender, but may be 
handled, cut, or burnt with caustic, with but little 
inconvenience. It is not unusual to find this singular 
protrusion in Scrofulous children who have had inflam- 
mation of the Testicle. 

It was formerly the custom always to remove the 
whole Testicle when afflicted with this Fungous growth, 
but now the practice is seldom resorted to. The pro- 
truding part is cut off with the knife, or burnt off with 
caustic, and the Scrotum being then brought over it 
the wound is healed and no further trouble is ex- 
perienced. In many cases a cure is even effected 
spontaneously, or by means of a simple wash of six 
grains of Nitrate of Silver to one ounce of water, with 
some internal alterative medicine. 

The best medicine in Chronic Orcnitis is Blue Pill, 
five grains of which should be given every night, 
with one grain of Opium, till the gums feel a little 
sore. 

In some cases a better treatment is to administer the 
Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla internally, and 
sprinkle the Fungus itself with equal parts of powdered 



98 DISEASES OF THE TESTE8. 

savin and sulphate of copper. Occasionally varying 
the medicine by giving a little of the Wine of Iron , 
particularly if the patient be weakly and sinking. 

It must be admitted, however, that inflammation of 
the Testicle is, in any form and under any mode of 
treatment, a disease extremely dangerous to the 
patient's sexual powers, though it may not compromise 
his life, nor interfere much with his general health. 

OSSIFICATION OF THE TESTICLE. 

In some few cases the Testicle has been known to 
Ossify or become more or less converted into Bone. 
The causes of this degeneration are unknown, and un- 
fortunately we know of no remedy. I have thought, 
in some few cases I have seen, that it was more likely 
owing to excessive continence than anything else, but it 
is impossible to decide. 

The Ossification generally commences in the middle, 
and may be felt like a hard kernel, which gradually 
extends till the whole organ is affected. In all cases 
when a hardness of this kind is felt immediate resort 
should be had to fomentations and poultices, because 
it may be but a simple induration which they will 
remove. 

It is probable that Ossification and induration most 
frequently arise from Orchitis, particularly when there 
has been many consecutive attacks. 

ARREST OF DEVELOPMENT AND WASTING OF THE 
TESTES. 

The Testes, like other parts of the body, are liable 
to be arrested in their development, from causes un- 
known to us, and this arrest may either be permanent 
or the development may be completed at some after- 
period of life. I have known instances of men at 
various ages, with Testes remarkably small, and pas- 
sions nearly dormant, in whom a sudden development 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 99 

took place from the sight of some particular female 
who excited their desires to an unusual degree. In all 
probability these persons would always have remained 
as they were, but for this occurrence, as many others 
similarly circumstanced do ; and we have thus a proof 
of the decided influence that the awakened feelings 
may have on physical development. 

In one instance where I was consulted, in a case of 
this kind, the left Testis was about the size of a small 
hazel-nut, and the other still smaller, the person being 
about twenty-eight, and possessing the usual feelings 
of his sex, though in a slight degree. Many circum- 
stances induced me to think that the organs were 
healthy, and that in all probability their further growth 
would ensue, under proper treatment, and from the 
new impetus given to his desires by his wish to marry. 
I, therefore, advised a stimulant plan of treatment, 
similar to that which will be directed in a subsequent 
article, and advised him to wait patiently. The result 
justified my opinion, the organs began to enlarge 
very soon, and in two years' time were of full average 
size, so that he had no misgivings whatever about 
marrying. 

It is very often the case that persons who had Scro- 
tal Hernia in childhood have the Testes small, owing 
to the pressure, on the cord, of the instrument worn to 
cure it, and with some who have had Mumps their full 
growth is never attained. 

Any causes that prevent the full supply of blood 
from going to the Testes will prevent their growth, or 
cause them to waste, and it is from this cause that 
many such cases arise. If the spermatic arteries be 
small, which supply them with blood, they do not 
receive sufficient nutriment, and, therefore, cannot 
grow nor secrete much semen. These arteries are 
very long, and exposed to several causes of injury as 
they proceed through the abdomen, so that they fre- 
quently become more or less injured, and the Testicles 
suffer in consequence. Sometimes they are pressed 
upon by the other parts, on passing through the ring, 



100 DISEASES OF THE TESTE8. 



and at other times they are affected by aneurism, 
their walls thicken and partly close up the passages, 
In old people the spermatic arteries are very apt to 
become more or less obliterated, and this is the chief 
cause of that wasting of the Testes so often seen at that 
period of life. To fully prove this the spermatic artery 
of a dog has been tied, leading to one of the Testes, 
and that in a short time was completely wasted away, 
while the other remained perfect. It has even been pro- 
posed to perform this operation, which is comparatively 
simple, instead of castration, when we wish to destroy 
the procreative power in animals. Such facts make it 
evident that the power of the Testes, and consequently 
the amative propensity of any man, depends materially 
upon the size of the spermatic arteries, probably much 
more so than upon any peculiar structure of the brain. 
It is certain that if these arteries be destroyed in early 
life no amativeness can ever be felt, nor any procrea- 
tive power be established, It is often the case that 
badly fitted Trusses, by pressing on the arteries, will 
cause the Testes to waste, while, on the contrary, an 
ill-made suspensory bandage, or even tight clothing, 
by chafing the parts, will draw the blood to them till 
they are intensely excited, or even till inflammation 
ensues. 

Wasting oj the Testes, after they have been of a 
proper size, is a much more serious matter, as it 
usually results from some disease that is likely to per- 
manently destroy them, though occasionally the 
causes of it are under our control, and the loss may be 
repaired. In addition to all the causes above enumer- 
ated that prevent development, we may also enumer- 
ate Hydrocele and Hasmatocele of long standing, and 
also Scrotal Hernia, all of which may cause the Testes 
to waste by the continued pressure which they exert. 
Spermatocele will also lead to the same result as stated 
in the article on that disease. Too long continued 
and strict continence will also waste the Testes in 
many persons, notwithstanding what is said to the 
contrary by some writers. These organs can no more 






DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 10 L 

preserve their powers when entirely disused than others 
can, nor is it in any way conducive to their health to 
leave them totally inactive. I am aware that it has 
been said that those who take vows of celibacy still 
preserve these organs, and in full development, but 
that has very little weight, because no one can tell 
what may have been the actual observance of those 
vows, nor how far involuntary action may have taken 
place. I am myself fully convinced, from numerous 
observations, that total inaction of the Testes, in every 
form, is most certainly followed, in most cases, by 
their wasting and decay. The assertion, made by some 
theorizing physiologists, that the semen, when not 
discharged, is absorbed into the blood and invigorates 
the system, is unsupported by a single fact, or even by 
plausible reasoning, and, therefore, requires no refuta- 
tion. Many a man who has prided himself upon his 
immaculate purity, and denounced those who were 
unable or unwilling to totally abstain, has been him- 
self the victim of a constant pollution both unpleasant 
and injurious. I have here spoken openly and fully, 
as a medical man ought, and no one with common 
sense or honest intentions can accuse me of encourag- 
ing anything approaching to licentiousness in what I 
have said. True virtue consists in the proper use of 
those powers given to us, and not in their total 
disuse. 

There are several causes of a nervous character that 
will also lead to wasting of the Testes, such as paralysis 
of the lower part of the body, or injury of the spine in 
the neighborhood of the Nerves leading to them, and 
sometimes even long-continued anxiety of mind. The 
most frequent causes, however, are probably Infla?7i- 
tnation and the Mumps , particularly in early life. 
Excessive indulgence not unfrequently ends in gradual 
wasting, and Masturbation still oftener, especially if 
accompanied by intemperance in strong drink. I have 
known intense excitement followed by inflammation 
and subsequent wasting, in a very short time, and I 
have known inebriates wake from their dreams of 



102 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

intoxication to find themselves impotent, in numerous 
instances. 

There are some drugs which exert an influence this 
way occasionally, and to a very marked degree. Mer- 
cury will in some, if long continued, so will Opium, 
and Iodine still more frequently, and decidedly. It is, 
therefore, the duty of the physician to watch well the 
effects of all such remedies. Tobacco, I am satisfied, 
is decidedly injurious to many men, and when used to 
excess will impair the tone and energy of these organs 
to a great extent; in several instances I have had 
good reason to attribute wasting of the Testes to its 
influence. 

Injuries of the head must also be enumerated as 
occasional causes of wasting of the Testes, though we 
cannot explain why. Several instances of the kind 
have been noticed, particularly by Army Surgeons, 
and the fact is established beyond doubt. Baron 
Larrey gives a remarkable case, which came under his 
own notice. It was that of a soldier, a healthy, robust 
man, with strong sexual propensities and endowments, 
who had a portion of the back part of his head cut off 
by a saber wound. He recovered from the wound, but 
lost the senses of sight and hearing on the right side. 
Pain was also experienced down the spine, and a 
peculiar creeping feeling in the Testicles, which also 
began to waste, and in fifteen days were no larger 
than beans. He completely lost all desire for sexual 
enjoyment, and apparently even all remembrance of 
it. M. Lallemand also mentions a case of a French 
soldier, similarly injured in the expedition to Algiers, 
who speedily experienced wasting of the Testes, loss of 
sexual desire, and all power of erection. 

Bruises of the Testes are nearly certain to be followed 
by inflammation and wasting, if severe, and few in- 
juries cause more acute physical suffering, or affect the 
general system more. Sickness, vomiting, and death- 
like fainting generally result from bruises of the organs, 
and sometimes even delirium. Constant pressure, 
from almost any cause, even though slight, will also 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 103 

cause wasting, as is seen in many persons who pass 
much time on horseback. It was even the custom 
formerly, in Turkey, to make Eunuchs by squeezing 
the Testes instead of Castrating, and some persons 
operate upon animals in the same way now, when they 
wish to emasculate them, the squeezing causing them 
to waste away. Cutting these organs, with sharp in- 
struments, so as not to bruise them, may not be fol- 
lowed by any evil effects whatever. Many instances 
have been known of their being cut and torn consider- 
ably, both by accidents and during surgical operations, 
but with no detriment to their powers, unless inflam- 
mation or mortification has ensued. Fanatics and 
insane people have injured themselves in this way fre- 
quently. 

All that we can do in those cases of wasting of the 
Testes is to find out, if possible, the immediate or excit- 
ing cause, and remove it. Very frequently, however, 
no cause whatever can be ascertained, and often when 
it can be, it is not under our control. Still no such 
case should be left unattended to, and its treatment, if 
any be thought advisable, should not be neglected a 
single day. 

TUBERCULAR DISEASE, OR CONSUMPTION OF THE 
TESTICLE. 

This is essentially the same disease as Consumption 
of the Lungs, being characterized by the production of 
Tubercles in the substance of the organ, which eventu- 
ally suppurate and break, and entirely destroy its sub- 
stance. In most instances, the patients are either decid- 
edly Scrofulous or evidently disposed to consumption, 
and generally both Testes are attacked, either together 
or consecutively. 

The symptoms are usually a slight uneasiness, in 
some particular part of the Testicle, which is soon 
followed by swelling, either in the body of the organ 
or in the Epididymis, but with very little acute pain, 
if any. The swelling feels uneven, or studded with 



104 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

little lumps, one of which eventually projects and 
bursts, discharging a quantity of pus, and thick curdy 
matter of a yellowish color. It may, however, be a 
year or more after the swelling occurs before it breaks, 
though when one opening is formed others are apt to 
follow. The opening evidently communicates with the 
interior of the organ, and after venereal excitement it 
is not unusual for semen to flow from it along with the 
pus. 

In some few cases the Tubercle will heal, and the 
wound close, leaving the Testicles only partially wasted, 
but more frequently they continue to discharge till 
they are completely gone, or till the whole system is 
so affected that death ensues. Occasionally the whole 
Testicle will pass through the wound, and will remain 
protruded till it is entirely wasted away. 

This affection occurs sometimes in children of a 
scrofulous habit, and completely destroys the Testes 
in a short time. 

The treatment must depend upon many circum- 
stances, such as the patient's age, general health and 
habit of body, and mode of life. As a general rule it 
must be general, or calculated to act on the whole 
system, so as to induce a beneficial change in its action. 
The alterative medicines are therefore most to be relied 
upon, as Mercury, Iodine, and Sarsaparilla, and in 
cases of tonic debility Iron must be administered. 
Attention to the diet, air, and climate are also of the 
greatest importance. Consumptive people are always 
more or less liable to this affection, and I am persuaded 
that in many it exists sufficiently to impair the power 
of the organ, and cause partial impotence when it does 
not proceed to the suppurative stage. 



FOREIGN BODIES IN THE SCROTUM ALONG WITH THE 
TESTICLES. 

Sometimes little round bodies like peas are found in 
the Tunics, composed of firm Cartilaginous matter, or 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES, 105 

bone. I have seen one as large as a marble, and hard 
as ivory. It is seldom there are more than three of 
them. The origin of these bodies can only be con- 
jectured, though they are probably only diseased secre- 
tions, like those sometimes found in the joints, which 
were first attached to the Tunics, and then became 
loose. 

Worms, Hydatids, and other living beings are very 
rarely met with, though they have been occasionally. 

In some instances the Scrotum has contained the 
remains of a Foetus, which had evidently descended 
from the Abdomen along with the Testicle. M. Vel- 
peau communicated a case of this kind to the Academy 
of Science in the year 1840, in which he removed 
nearly all the parts of a Foetus from the Scrotum of a 
man aged twenty-seven. The patient had suffered 
from the enlargement from birth, but its character was 
not suspected till M. Velpeau performed the operation 
for its removal. 

(To understand how this inclusion of one Foetus in 
another can take place, the reader is referred to " The 
Marriage Guide" if he be curious in such singular 
cases.) 

NERVOUS AFFECTIONS OF THE TESTICLES. 

The Testes, like other parts of the body, are sub- 
ject to several kinds of nervous affections, which fre- 
quently cause exquisite misery, though they may not 
lead to any positive injury, 

Irritable Testis. — This is a form of nervous disease 
in which the Testis is in a constant state of peculiar 
uneasiness and irritation^ rather than acute pain, 
though sometimes it is more painful in one peculiar 
spot. It is so exceedingly sensitive that the touching 
of the dress, or the mere rubbing of the Scrotum 
against the limbs, causes such distressing annoyance 
that the sufferer dislikes even to move. Sometimes 
the irritation extends up the cord, so that the move- 
ments of the bowels, or the passage of urine, become 



106 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

exciting causes, and the patient cannot even cough 
without an increase of his misery taking place. 

In some cases this morbid sensibility affects both 
Testes, and in others only one, which is usually the 
left. It does not appear to cause any alteration in the 
parts or swelling, except occasionally a little fullness, 
particularly of the cord, and some relaxation of the 
Scrotum. It is seldom that an attack passes off very 
soon, but more usually it lasts several months, during 
which the sufferer loses all relish for society, and 
almost all capability for enjoyment in any form. All 
his thoughts are fixed upon his sufferings, and the idea 
takes possession of his mind that he will never be 
better, or that he will be impotent or die of Cancer, 
and some request their physicians to castrate them to 
avoid these dreaded evils. 

The causes of these distressing affections are partly 
constitutional, it being chiefly met with in those who 
are naturally weak, irritable, and disinclined to physical 
exertion, or in the hypochondrical and dyspeptic. 
It is however immediately produced, in most cases, by 
some derangement of the genital organs themselves, 
more especially such as are brought on by masturba- 
tion, excessive indulgence, or involuntary emissions. 
Young persons of a nervous habit and strong sexual 
feelings are also liable to it while unmarried, and I 
have been consulted in many such cases which could 
not be benefited by any kind of treatment till marriage 
took place. In a modified form it is often experienced 
about the period of puberty, in consequence of the great 
and unusual activity of the organs at that time, and 
much evil may result if a word of advice and caution 
be not then given. The young person will, in all prob- 
ability, discover that a temporary relief can be obtained 
by the vicious practice of self-indulgence, and not know- 
ing that this will really increase the irritation eventually, 
he goes on with the practice till his health is seriously 
impaired and his sufferings aggravated almost beyond 
endurance. 

The treatment of irritable Testes depends in a great 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 107 

measure upon the peculiar condition of the patient, and 
the state of his general health. In many cases it is so 
entirely of a nervous character that we need merely 
advise a change of air and scene, or cheerful company, 
or some interesting mental occupation, in short, any- 
thing that will arouse the sufferer to activity, and turn 
his thoughts away from his affliction. If he be dyspep- 
tic it is essential that his digestive organs should be 
attended to, and if he be costive, which is often the 
case, the bowels must be brought to a more regular 
state before improvement can even be hoped for. In 
cases where there is great debility, tonics must be used, 
such as the Steel drops > or Peruvian bark, and a gener- 
ous diet must be advised, with a little wine. The use 
of cold water externally is of the very first importance, 
as it gives tone to the parts, and removes the morbid 
sensibility, more perhaps than anything else. The 
parts should be freely bathed with it two or three times 
a day if possible, or at least night and morning. In 
obstinate cases a plaster of Belladonna Ointment may 
be placed over the whole Scrotum, or laudanum may 
be used as a lotion. A good suspensory bandage is 
also very frequently of great service. 

In addition to any treatment, however, and still 
more essential, is a knowledge of the cause of the 
trouble. If any bad habits are persisted in, or if the 
patient's situation in life is unsuited to his tempera- 
ment, no great good can possibly result from medical 
treatment alone. These things must therefore be 
spoken of, either to the patient himself or to his guard- 
ians. 

It is not necessary to perform castration for this 
disease, as it is for some others, because it is not a 
serious one, and generally either subsides of itself in 
time or can be relieved by appropriate treatment. 

In one instance a gentleman was affected with this 
morbid irritability in one of his Testes, just before the 
time appointed for his marriage, and was so convinced 
that it was but the beginning of a greater evil, that in 
spite of all advice to the contrary he insisted upon hav- 



108 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

ing the organ removed, which was done. Directly 
after, however, the other began to be as irritable 
as the lost one had been, but this of course he was not 
so desirous of parting with, and therefore bore with the 
trouble. He was married and had no further trouble 
afterwards. The removed Testicle was perfectly healthy 
and sound. 

Neuralgia of the Testes. — This is a nervous disease 
of a much more serious character than the one already 
described, and more difficult to treat. It is character- 
ized by acute pains, sometimes lancinating, and at 
others dragging or pricking, which are usually accom- 
panied by spasms of the cremaster muscles by which 
the Testes are drawn forcibly up to the groin. In 
general these pains come on periodically, as in other 
cases of Neuralgia, and between the paroxysms the 
Testes are often perfectly free from pain, even when 
handled, though there is occasionally a little morbid 
sensibility in them, and perhaps a little soreness on the 
edge of the hip-bone. The attack may last only a few 
minutes or many hours, and is usually confined to only 
one Testis ; some patients have it come on twice a day, 
others once a day, and some again only once in several 
days. Some are affected with sickness and vomiting, 
and others with shiverings and cold perspirations, 
while others again experience such intense agony that 
they roll upon the ground and groan, or perhaps faint 
away. 

In nearly every instance when examinations have 
been made of the Testes so affected, after their removal, 
no alteration whatever has been detected in their 
structure, nor any indication of disease to which the 
Neuralgia could be ascribed. In some long-continued 
cases, where the pain has been great, there has been 
a little swelling and inflammation, but this is rare. 

The causes of Neuralgia of the Testes are but little 
known, or rather, perhaps, not known at all. It is 
met with at all ages, and in almost every variety of 
constitution, though most frequently attacking those 
who are subject to derangements of the digestive 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 109 

organs. It very often appears to follow some disease 
of the Testes, particularly Orchitis and Varicocele, and 
sometimes it is a sequence of disease of the Kidneys. 
Many persons experience it from Gravel, and still 
more from the passage of a stone from the Kidneys to 
the Bladder. Gouty subjects are liable to it, and so are 
those afflicted with enlargement of the Prostate Gland. 

In the treatment of Neuralgia of the Testes, the first 
thing is to ascertain if there exists any other disease 
which may possibly cause it. The Digestive Organs 
must be attended to, and the patient must be advised 
to avoid all causes of mental disquiet, or nervous 
agitation. Internal medication is seldom of much 
use, though in some cases relief is obtained by taking 
Iron j in various forms, particularly the Pills of the 
Carbonate of Iron, and if the attacks be regularly 
periodical, Quinine may be of service in doses of five 
grains, three or four times a day. Turpentine is 
occasionally very efficacious, in the following form : 

rjL. The yolk of one Egg ; oil of Turpentine, three 
drachms; syrup of Orange-peel, and syrup of Tolu, of 
each two ounces ; Laudanum, one drachm. 

These are all to be well mixed together, and three 
table-spoonfuls to be taken daily. 

Warm fomentations of hops, or poppy heads, will 
sometimes benefit, but at other times ice-water will be 
still better. A blister may be put upon the Scrotum, 
if all other means fail, and a quarter of a grain of 
Morphia placed on the raw surface. A Belladonna 
Plaster will sometimes relieve, or an Ointment com- 
posed of one grain of Aconite to one drachm of Lard, 
rubbed over the parts twice a day. The Tincture of 
Aconite is sometimes still more efficacious when rubbed 
on the Scrotum with a sponge, and will often so numb 
the parts that no pain will be felt for hours. Twenty 
or thirty drops of Laudanum are sometimes beneficial, 
internally. 

Neither bleeding nor Mercury appear to be of any 
use in this disease, but Galvanism, properly applied, 
is frequently of great service. 



110 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

When the disease is too severe to be borne, or 
seriously affects the patient's health, if all other means 
fail, Castration may be performed. It should not be 
done prematurely, however, nor without due consider- 
tion, for sometimes the disease will subside spon- 
taneously, after enduring a long time, and even when 
the operation has been performed the Neuralgia has 
often remained in the cord as severe as ever. I have 
known the disease remain for two years, causing the 
most agonizing suffering nearly the whole time, and 
then go off and never return. 

Several cases of this singular disease have lately 
come under my care, and in no two of them has the 
same treatment been beneficial. Each one has had to 
be studied and prescribed for separately, but in none 
was an operation necessary. 

SPERMATOCELE, OR SWELLING OF THE TESTES FROM 
ENGORGEMENT OF SEMEN. 

It is very seldom that this affection is met with, 
though it sometimes occurs from obstructions in the 
Vas Deferens and Urethra. It may also arise in 
falling of the Cord, from its becoming twisted or 
knotted, and from swelling of the prostate Gland, 
causing pressure on the ejaculatory ducts. The 
symptoms are swelling and heat in the Testes, with a 
distinct sense of fullness in them and aching pain. 
There is also usually considerable priapism, and inten- 
sity of sexual desire, but not always. 

The treatment consists first in removing all causes 
cof obstruction, if any exist, and then in cold lotions 
and rest, with purgatives. Sometimes Spermatocele 
ds met with as the simple result of undue continence, 
but this is rare. The effects of it, if long continued, 
may be inflammation of the Testicle, with Hydrocele, 
and ultimately complete impotence. If the means 
above directed do not give relief Leeches may be 
applied to the perineum, or general bleeding may be 
practised from the arm. The diet should also be very 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. Ill 

spare and simple, and the drink cold water. The 
mind must not be allowed to be idle, nor the imagina- 
tion too much excited, and the body must be inured to 
regular and brisk exercise in the open air. If, not- 
withstanding all these, the trouble still continues, and 
threatens to be serious, nature indicates but one more 
mode of relief, which is sure to succeed. In very 
obstinate cases of Spermatocele, the pressure of the 
Semen has been known to burst the seminiferous 
Tubes, and I am persuaded, from what I have seen, 
that it frequently injures the structure of the Testicle. 
I once saw the testicles of a young man dissected who 
died in an epileptic fit, brought on by an intense strug- 
gle to suppress all sexual desire. They presented the 
most confirmed case of Spermatocele perhaps ever 
seen, being engorged with semen till much larger 
than the natural size, and evidently in a state of chron- 
ic inflammation. The tubes were blocked up with 
hardened semen, almost of the consistence of cheese, 
and many of them were broken and run together. In 
a short time the structure of the organs would have 
been completely destroyed. The Vas Deferens and 
Epididymis were also engorged in the same manner, 
and in many parts were beginning to change their 
structure. The continued excitement from indulging 
habitually in loose thoughts will cause Spermatocele, 
and so will prolonged excitement in Coition. 

SCROTOCELE OR RUPTURE OF THE INTESTINES OR 
OMENTUM INTO THE SCROTUM. 

To understand the nature of this affection it is nec- 
essary to refer back to what has already been stated. 
During Fcetal life the Testes are contained in the Ab- 
domen, from which they descend into the Scrotum 
about the ninth month, by an opening called the 
abdominal ring. After they have descended this 
opening usually closes, and no further direct commu- 
nication then exists between the two cavities. In some 



112 DISK ASKS OF THE TESTES. 

cases, however, this closing up is not accomplished 
before birth, and then there is a liability for the Intes- 
tines, or their covering, the Omentu?n, or both, to 
descend after the Testes into the Scrotum, forming a 
Scrotal Hernia. In most cases this takes place very 
early, but it may be delayed some months, or years, 
and has taken place as late as the thirtieth year. The 
symptoms are much the same as those of other rup- 
tures, excepting that the tumor is found in the Scro- 
tum. If the bowel is compressed in the ring till the 
passage in it is obstructed, great suffering results, with 
inflammation, and nearly certain death if relief is not 
obtained. I have known infants suffer severely from 
this trouble, and in fact be almost lost from it without 
any idea on the part of their parents as to what ailed 
them. I have also known boys become subject to it 
suddenly from leaping, or from straining of the bow- 
els, and suffer the most dreadful tortures before they 
told how they suffered, or before any one found out 
what was wrong. 

If the Rupture exists from birth the Testes cannot 
be felt while it is down, because they are covered by 
it, but when the Rupture occurs in after-life the Testo 
can be felt behind, in the lower part of the Scrotum. 
In some cases the Hernia is small, and descends only 
a small distance, so that no great inconvenience is ex- 
perienced, and it may exist in this way for years, or 
even for life, but there is always danger of its becoming 
worse. Occasionally a quantity of fluid descends from 
the abdomen, either with a Rupture or without, con- 
stituting a true Hydrocele, but differing from that oc- 
curring in after-life by the fluid returning into the 
abdomen, when pressed upwards. Children are some- 
times born with a large accumulation of fluid in this 
way, and in others it appears a few days after birth. 
In these cases the fluid also usually disappears into the 
abdomen when the patient lies down, and may be kept 
there when erect by pressing the finger on the abdom- 
inal ring, but immediately the finger is taken away it 
re-appears. 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 113 

The treatment of Scrotal Hernia is much the same 
as that of other ruptures, and when properly conducted 
usually produces a cure, unless there is some malfor- 
mation of the parts that cannot be corrected. The 
protruded parts are first pushed back into the abdo- 
men, leaving the Testes in their place, and then a 
properly-constructed Truss is worn, that presses on the 
abdominal ring, to prevent their return. If this be 
worn regularly, and the parts never allowed to fall 
again, the passage will generally close up, and the 
cure be thus made complete in a few weeks. The 
older the patient is, however, the longer time it will 
require to effect a cure, and the greater chance there 
is that it may not take place at all, in which case a 
Truss must be constantly worn. 

Great care is required in applying the Truss that it 
does not press on the Intestine, or on the Testes, for if 
it does so, great pain and perhaps inflammation may 
result. It must also be carefully ascertained that the 
Testes are in the Scrotum, because if they are not the 
truss will be improper, as it will prevent their descent. 

In Congenital Hydrocele the fluid may be kept back, 
more or less completely, in the same way as the Intes- 
tines, and in young persons- it usually absorbs in the 
course of time. In very bad cases of Scrotal Hernia, 
when the Intestine is strangulated, and cannot be re- 
placed by external manipulation, an operation is 
needed, which consists in cutting the neck of the sac, 
or the ring, a little larger, so as to allow of its return. 
This, however, must always be performed by an expe- 
rienced Surgeon, and in such hands is perfectly safe 
and comparatively easy. 

Parents cannot be too careful in observing their 
children, so as to detect any trouble of this kind at the 
earliest moment. From want of attention in this way 
a Scrotal Hernia may take place, and produce serious 
effects before anything of the kind is suspected, and 
the proper treatment may thus be too long neglected. 
A severe fit of crying is very likely to bring this on, in 
infants who are disposed to it, and hard coughing may 



114 DISEASES OF THE TESTES 

do the same in after years. After puberty it is very 
seldom cured, so as to do without a truss. 



VARICOCELE AND CIRCOCELE, OR SWELLING OF THE 
VEINS OF THE SCROTUM AND SPERMATIC CORD. 

Varicocele is simply a swelling of the veins on the 
surface of the Scrotum, and is never of a serious na- 
ture, unless caused by other diseases. It appears to 
arise spontaneously in many cases, but more frequently 
follows severe fatigue, long standing, or debilitating 
diseases. All that is required is for the patient to wear 
a suspensory bandage, use the cold astringent lotions 
directed in Hydrocele, and rest. If he be of a full 
habit of body it may also be requisite to order a low 
diet for a time, and the strict use of cold water as a 
drink. 

Circocele is a swelling of the primary veins of the 
spermatic cord, within the Scrotum, and may become 
much more troublesome than Varicocele, though it is 
but seldom serious. The swelling is felt in the Scrotum 
like a firm knotty tumor, on one side of the Testicle, 
and becomes larger when the patient coughs or strains, 
but subsides when he lies down. It is on this account 
that Circocele has sometimes been mistaken for a rup- 
ture of the Omentum into the Scrotum. It only needs 
a proper examination, however, to show the truth. 
When the patient lies down push the tumor up into 
the abdomen, and press the ringer firmly on the ab- 
dominal ring ; then let him rise, and if it be a rupture 
the tumor cannot descend again while the finger is 
held there, but if it be a Circocele it re-appears imme- 
diately. 

It is seldom that anything more is experienced than 
a sense of weight and uneasiness in the parts, except in 
severe cases, and then there may be pains in the back 
and loins, with weakness in the thighs, and eventually 
a wasting of the Testicle. 

The treatment must be almost precisely the same 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 115 

as given for other swellings. Cold astringent lotions, 
the supensory bandage, purgatives, and rest, by lying 
upon the back, is all that can be generally advised, 
though there may be particular circumstances in each 
case to indicate something more. There are cases so 
severe as to require the removal of the Testicle, but 
fortunately they are rare. 

Many sufferers would escape this affliction if they 
would wear a suspensory bandage in time, when the 
swelling and inconvenience are first observed, and 
many would have no return of it if they did not leave 
off the supporter too soon. The veins on the right 
side appear to be seldom subject to swelling, nearly all 
the cases being on the left side, though occasionally 
both are affected, but the left always the most so. This 
is probably owing to the position of the Colon, or 
lower part of the large Intestine, which descends on the 
left side, and by pressing on the veins prevents the 
blood from freely returning, and thus causes the swell- 
ing below. It is on this account that persons who 
suffer from Constipation are most liable to Varicocele, 
and that it is always worse when the bowels have been 
long unmoved and are full. It is, for the same reason 
also, that the left ovary, in females, is most apt to be 
affected with Varicocele. Among other general causes 
of this disease may be mentioned excessive indulgence, 
Masturbation, Inflammation of the Testicles, and Rup- 
tures or Tumors in the Abdomen. Very fat people 
are sometimes affected with it, owing to the pressure 
of the fat in the lower part of the abdomen, and those 
who wear trusses are liable to it from the pressure of 
the instrument, unless it be well made, and carefully 
adjusted. Riding, hard running, leaping, and lifting, 
will also bring on swelled veins, and sometimes even 
burst them, particularly if the Scrotum be much relax- 
ed. It is most frequent at the age of puberty, though 
met witli occasionally at other periods. 

The characteristics of this disease are so clearly 
marked that a mistake can seldom occur in regard to 
it ; the cord is plainly observed to be swelled, the en- 



116 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

largement being greatest below, on the Testicle, and 
on pressure it feels like a roll of knotted cords, or a 
bunch of earth-worms. This swelling is always great- 
est at night, or after exertion, and from coughing or 
straining in any way. It may also be reduced by lying 
down, and by the application of cold water lotions. 
Many patients discover, that it is nearly always much 
better after coition, and they are, therefore, apt to in- 
dulge frequently, under the idea that it does them good. 
This, however, is a great and fatal mistake, the tempo- 
rary relief being merely owing to the contraction of the 
Scrotum, and to the increased speed of the circulation, 
which always occurs immediately after coition. As 
soon as this temporary excitement is over, the relaxa- 
tion is greater than before, and the swelling of the veins 
increases, as all those who have tried the experiment 
well know. 

In general, if taken early, the disease may be readily 
checked by the means already described, but, if neg- 
lected, it may become very severe and obstinate, and 
sometimes give rise to Neuralgic symptoms. There is 
also danger of wasting of the Testes, as before remarked, 
owing to the circulation of the blood being impeded, 
and the usual supply of nutriment being thus cut off. 
Many instances of this kind are related in medical 
works, and I have seen several myself. In some cases 
the Testes will waste away and almost totally disappear ; 
in a few months after the Circocele commences. This, 
of course, destroys all sexual power and feeling, and 
makes the patient an eunuch. It is therefore advisable, 
if all the usual means fail of arresting the swelling, and 
particularly if wasting commences, to resort to some 
other treatment, and several modes have been adopted 
by different Surgeons with varied success. Sir Astley 
Cooper, and some others, used to cut away a piece of 
the Scrotum, and then draw the parts together andjet 
them heal. This, of course, made the Scrotum less, 
and by drawing the Testes firmly up to the abdomen 
afforded a beneficial support to the parts above. In 
many instances this operation has effected a cure, but 



DISEASES OF THK TESTES. 117 

in others the relief from it has been but slight. The 
disease has also reappeared, with all its former severity, 
many years after being cured in this way. This opera- 
tion is not applicable to all cases of the disease, and 
even in skillful hands is frequently attended by great 
danger. 

Besides this plan, some surgeons have cut through 
the veins, or tied them, and sometimes even cut part of 
them out. Of course, either of these plans leads to the 
destruction of the Testes, besides being liable to cause 
inflammation of the veins, and other serious results, and 
they are therefore very objectionable though often suc- 
cessful in curing the Circocele. M. Delpech, a cele- 
brated French surgeon, operated upon a man in this 
way, and cured him, but the Testes afterwards wasted 
away, and this being unexpected, and undesired, the 
man was so enraged that he assassinated the surgeon. 

The only treatment that can effect a cure, without 
sacrificing the Testes, is the application of pressure, in 
such a way as to lessen the circulation of the blood in 
the veins, without stopping it entirely. This can some- 
times be accomplished by a peculiarly formed Truss, 
or bandage, and at other times by a ring ; but the 
making and fitting of these instruments is a matter of 
great difficulty, and requires to be done for each case 
separately. 

When nothing else can be done, castration must be 
performed; and our surgical records give us many in- 
stances of this operation being resorted to. 



HEMATOCELE, OR SWELLING OF THE SCROTUM AND 

SPERMATIC CORD FROM THE EFFUSION 

OF BLOOD. 

This affection differs from Hydrocele in being an 
effusion of blood, instead of water, either into the 
Scrotum or Spermatic cord. It is sometimes caused 
in performing the operation for removing the fluid in 
Hydrocele, by wounding one of the blood-vessels, and 



118 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

thus allowing the blood to run into the cellular Tissue 
or Tunica Vaginalis. It may also occur, spontaneously, 
from the rupture of a branch of the spermatic vein, 
and may result from blows or sprains, the same as 
effusions of blood in other parts of the body. 

This accident is rare, and seldom serious. If the 
patient keeps perfectly still, supports the Scrotum with 
a bandage, and uses fomentations of hops, boiled in 
vinegar, or spirits of wine and water, or vinegar and 
water, and keeps the bowels gently relaxed, nothing 
more will in general be required. Sometimes, how- 
ever, the blood-vessel remains open, the blood keeps 
flowing, and the swelling becomes so large, and presses 
so much on the Testes, that great distress is ex- 
perienced. In these cases an incision must be made, 
the blood let out, and the vessel tied, unless it can be 
closed by pinching it together externally, which may 
)e done if the place of rupture is discovered. If there 
oe any inflammation it must be combated by leeches, 
cold lotions, and other usual remedies, and if it suppu- 
rates, a poultice must be applied. 



PRURIGO, OR ITCHING OF THE SCROTUM. 

This is one of those annoying complaints which, 
though not at all serious, are still sufficient to make any 
one suffering from them completely miserable, and even 
sometimes almost desirous of death, as the only means 
of relief. The itching is sometimes felt without there 
being any unusual appearances in the parts, but more 
frequently a number of roundish, red pimples are seen 
on the scrotum, which, by the patient scratching to 
relieve himself, often become much enlarged, and 
highly inflamed. In long continued cases the skin be- 
comes considerably thickened, and very hard, and a 
disagreeable discharge takes place from the sebaceous 
glands. I have known persons so tormented with this 
disease as to be frequently delirious, and utterly unable 
to obtain the slightest alleviation of their distress. 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 119 

The real causes of Prurigo are entirely unknown to 
us, but it is undoubtedly much aggravated, if not 
brought on, in many instances, by want of proper 
cleanliness. The plentiful and regular use of cold 
water would prevent more of this trouble than any kind 
of medication can ever cure. In many persons the 
secretions of the parts are naturally very acrid, and if 
not speedily removed they are sure to irritate every 
spot they touch. 

Old persons are most subject to this complaint, 
though it occasionally attacks others, and it is usually 
confined to the genitals exclusively, but will sometimes 
extend down the inside of the thighs and around the 
anus. 

The treatment must be chiefly external, unless there 
be habitual indigestion, or constipation, in which case 
a few simple alteratives may be of service. If constipa- 
tion exists a little Epsom Salts may be taken, and if the 
stomach be disordered, five grains of Plummer's Pill 
may be given every other night for five or six nights. 
The patient must be particularly cautioned not to rub 
the parts, and his dress should by no means be allowed 
to chafe them, nor should it be too warm and close. 
Even at night the bed-clothes must be light, and the 
bed itself hard and cool. But little exercise should be 
taken, and that very gentle, and the parts should be 
thoroughly washed twice a day with warm tar soap and 
water. A cooling lotion may also be used during the 
day, of Vinegar and Water, with a little Laudanuyn, 
or, what is often better, two grains of Bichloride of 
Mercury to two ounces of water. Equal parts of Citrine 
Ointment and fresh lard also forms an excellent appli- 
cation to be rubbed well over the parts at night. 
Sulphur Ointment benefits in some cases, and a 
Sulphur Vapor Bath still more so in others. It is 
especially important that the diet should be simple, 
light, and unstimulating, and that no alcholic or fer- 
mented liquors should be taken. 

Sometimes the itching arises from the presence of 
certain peculiar little parasitic animals, in which case 



120 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

they may be readily destroyed by rubbing on a little 
of the white precipitate powder occasionally, or red 
precipitate ointment. In fact, either may be used with 
a prospect of benefit when the skin is not much broken. 



ELEPHANTIASIS SCROTI. 

This terrible disease is fortunately extremely rare in 
this part of the world, and it is only necessary to de- 
scribe it in order to complete our treatise. It appears 
in the form of a peculiar swelling of the Scrotum, 
caused by the infiltration into its integuments of a 
jelly-like albuminous fluid, which accumulates in some 
cases to a most enormous extent. The outer surface 
of the skin appears rough and chapped, or covered 
with large brown scales, so that it has somewhat the 
appearance of an elephant's foot. Sometimes, but not 
very frequently, a number of ulcers are formed, and 
the chapped places discharge an offensive sanious se- 
cretion. 

This disease is chiefly confined to Barbadoes, though 
found in others of the West India Islands, and also in 
Egypt, Africa, Greece, and the East Indies. 

The size of the Scrotum is sometimes almost past 
belief, and yet in some of the very worst cases the 
patients enjoy excellent health, without any disturbance 
of the functions of other parts of the system, which 
shows that the disease is purely local. Mr. Liston re- 
moved one of these Tumors which weighed forty 
pounds, which had been nineteen years growing ! M. 
Delpech removed one that weighed sixty pounds ; and 
Baron Larrey saw one in Egypt that weighed over a 
hundred pounds. Instances have been known of their 
weighing over two himdred pounds, and sometimesthe 
patients have been able to sit upon them, like a seat. 
Very often they hang down to the ankles, and are four 
or five feet in circumference. There is no cure for 
this affection, so far as yet known, and the only rem- 
edy is to remove it with the knife, which has fre- 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 121 

quently been done with perfect success. Dr. Picton, 
of New Orleans, removed one of these Tumors from 
the Scrotum of a negro, in 1837, which weighed fifty- 
three pounds ', and had been growing for ten years. 
Much larger ones have, however, been removed, and 
sometimes even without destroying, or in any way in- 
juring the genital organs, so that the patient has been 
as well and perfect afterwards as ever he was before. 
It is, however, extremely difficult to preserve the geni- 
tals, and generally they have to be removed along with 
the diseased mass. The great danger is from loss of 
blood, and from this many of those operated upon have 
died. A Chinese, named Hoo Loo, came over to Lon- 
don to be operated upon for this disease, and Mr. Key 
removed the tumor, which weighed fifty-six pounds, 
but the poor man died from loss of blood. 

REMARKABLE CASE OF ELEPHANTIASIS. 

Elephantiasis, though common in some parts of the 
world, is rare in the United States. The following 
case occurred at the Colored Home in this city, while 
it was under the care of that most painstaking and 
conscientious physician, Mr. S. Whitall. 

The patient's name was Isaac Newton, native of 
Georgia, aged 22. He was admitted to the Hospital 
March 20, 1866. He had previously enjoyed general 
good health, and was in good condition when admitted. 
About eight years before, while leaping a fence, he fell 
astride the rail and bruised the scrotum. Some pain 
and swelling followed, which, however, passed off, and 
about three months after it began to feel uncomfort- 
able, and the skin commenced to thicken ; the thick- 
ening increased and extended up the Penis, till it 
reached the prepuce. It then grew rapidly till at last 
it hung down near to his ankles. Its appearance when 
at the hospital is shown in 

Plate XL— Fig. 1. 
At first it pained him very much, but latterly he was 



PLATE XI.— Fig. i. 




PLATE XI.— Fig. 2. 




124 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

only inconvenienced by its size and weight, which hin- 
dered his walking. His general health being remark- 
ably good — his weight, without the tumor, 159 pounds. 
The tumor weighed, when removed, 63^ pounds. 
His sexual desires were perfect, and he had occasional 
erections and emissions. 

This enormous tumor was successfully removed by 
Dr. Thebaud, in the presence of many noted surgeons 
and medical men, May 30, 1866— Dr. G. F. Hollick 
being at that time House Physician. The patient was 
placed under the influence of ether, and the operation 
lasted nearly an hour, including the dressing. It was 
remarkably successful, and on August 6th the wounds 
were almost entirely healed, the parts had assumed 
their natural appearance, and his general health was 
much better. He was even gaining flesh. 

April 2, 1867, he was discharged from the hospital 
and returned to Georgia. The parts then presented 
the appearance shown in 

Plate XL— Fig. 2. 

FALLING OF THE SPERMATIC CORD. 

From various causes the sheath of the cord is liable 
to become excessively relaxed, and weakened in its 
attachment, so that it falls down more or less into the 
scrotum. This is indicated by a sense of weight and 
fullness in the scrotum, and by dull pains in the groin, 
with uneasiness in the testicle. On examination a 
kind of knotty tumor is felt just over the testicle, or 
down on one side of it, which may be gradually pushed 
up into the abdomen, and which draws up itself to a 
great extent when the person lies down. This tumor 
is the cord, which has fallen in a heap and presses on 
the testes. In the morning it is seldom to be seen, 
except very slightly, but usually re-appears when the 
patient has been on his feet a short time. It is also 
worse in hot weather, and after great fatigue, ,or much 
nervous agitation. Straining from constipation will 



BI6EASES OF THE TESTES. 125 

also tend to bring it down worse, and so will sexual 
excesses. 

This is simply a local weakness, but it may never- 
theless lead to very unpleasant consequences if allowed 
to continue unchecked. The constant pressure on the 
testes becomes very painful, and may lead to inflamma- 
tion, or hydrocele, and ultimately the cord may form 
false attachments and grow fast in its wrong position, 
so that no means can afterwards remove it. The 
treatment is simple, but requires perseverance. The 
parts must be regularly bathed with cold astringent 
washes, such as alum water and solution of sugar of 
lead. This must be done at least morning and night, 
and if possible two or three times during the day, the 
fluid being dashed upon the groin, and under the 
perineum as well as on the scrotum. The dress must 
not be too warm between the limbs, and no lifting or 
straining must be practised. As little standing as pos- 
sible is also advisable, and constipation must be par- 
ticularly avoided. — The most essential requisite, how- 
ever, is a suspensory bandage, or in very bad cases a 
truss, made to press on the abdominal ring. Both 
these instruments should be put on before the patient 
rises in the morning. 

Falling of the cord usually results either from gen- 
eral debility, straining, sexual excesses, or fatigue upon 
the feet. It may occur only on one side or on both. 



RELAXATION OF THE SCROTUM. 

This affection is something like Falling of the sper- 
matic cord, being produced by similar causes, and re- 
quiring similar treatment. It results from a weakness 
in the fibres of the dartos and great cremaster muscle, 
owing to which the weight of the testes pulls down the 
scrotum and elongates it, sometimes to a great extent. 
In some men I have known it hang, when they had been 
long upon their feet, full six inches below the pubes. 
Besides the inconvenience of the falling itself, it is 



126 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

nearly certain, if it continues too long, to bring on 
falling of the cord, and probably hydrocele. It always 
causes an annoying sensation of weight and dragging, 
with more or less pain in the groin, and weakness in 
the limbs. 

The only treatment required is the regular use of 
cold astringent washes, as directed in falling of the 
spermatic cord, with the constant wearing of a sus- 
pensory bandage. The same precaution must also be 
observed as to regulating the bowels, and avoiding 
excesses and fatigue. — If cold water and the suspen- 
sory bandage were resorted to in time, and persever- 
ingly, neither of these affections would scarcely ever 
become very bad, unless from sudden straining. — 
Sometimes, however, it is caused by unusual weight in 
the testes, from swelling, tumors, or hydrocele, and of 
course can be removed only by removing the cause 
producing it. 



DISEASES OF THE VASA DEFERENTIA. 

The Vas Deferens is only a small Tube, and is liable 
to several accidents that will impede the proper per- 
formance of its functions. 

It is not unfrequent after a recovery from Hydrocele, 
or Hernia Humoralis, for the Vas Deferens to become 
partially obstructed, or even totally obliterated, owing to 
its having partaken of the inflammation, and its walls 
having in consequence grown together. When the ob- 
literation is complete the individual is of course sterile, 
because there is no passage for the semen. The Testi- 
cle may be perfect in its action, but the semen cannot 
leave it, and this not only produces sterility, but some- 
times leads to fatal inflammation of the Testicles from 
their being constantly overcharged with* semen, and 
unable to relieve themselves. When there is only a 
partial obstruction, the patient experiences a singular 
difficulty in the evacuation of the semen, which is 
effected very slowly, and often with great pain. In 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 127 

some of these cases the orgasm will be over and the 
erection gone down before the semen begins to flow, 
and then it comes in drops for a considerable time, 
causing great inconvenience and annoyance. 

Unfortunately we know of no remedy for this diffi- 
culty when it has long existed, but when it is only a 
temporary result of acute inflammation it is of course 
only necessary to subdue that to give relief. The 
great point is to prevent such an accident, by checking 
all inflammatory action in the Testes and other parts, 
before the Vas Deferens becomes affected. It is 
mostly caused by neglecting Hydrocele and Hernia 
Humoralis too long, or by improperly treating them, 
though it may also be brought about by blows over 
the groin. A temporary obstruction of the Vas Def- 
erens often arises from its being pressed upon by a 
swelled vein, or by tumors in the Testicle and groin, 
in which case it is of course relieved only when such 
cause is removed. It is advisable to let such causes 
exist as little time as possible, because the retention of 
the semen may injure the Testicle. I have known an 
improperly-constructed truss press on the spermatic 
cord and close the Vas Deferens, so that the person 
was quite sterile while he wore it. 

Sometimes the Vas Deferens becomes Dilated, or 
Relaxed, so that its size is much increased and it 
nearly or quite loses the power of retaining the se- 
men. The causes of this trouble are unknown, though 
it most probably results from retaining the semen 
when it is nearly ready to flow, as often as from any 
other cause. I have known men afflicted in this way 
who habitually tried to prevent the flow continuing, 
from a mistaken idea that if they could lessen the dis- 
charge they would not be so much weakened by 
coition. It is scarcely necessary to say that such prac- 
tices do not lessen the discharge, but merely make it 
finish afterwards in an unseen and dangerous form. 

It is not easy to ascertain when the Vas Deferens is 
enlarged or relaxed, but when there is good reason to 
suppose it is so the treatment is simple. Cold lotions 



128 DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

of Alum-water, or Sugar of Lead, as recommended in 
former articles, must be constantly used, or ice may be 
frequently applied so as to astringe the parts, and all 
improper habits must be immediately abandoned. 

In addition to these, the Vas Deferens is liable to 
several other affections, as Scrofula and Tumors, for 
instance, which are, however, very rarely seen, and as 
their treatment in no way differs from that of the 
same affection in other parts, they do not require any 
special notice. In some few cases the Vas Deferens 
has been totally absent from birth, while the Testes 
and other organs were perfect. In this state the Semen 
is formed, erection even occurs, but there is no emission, 
because there is no passage from the Testes. This 
condition of the parts is nearly sure to lead to Orchitis, 
or Spermatocele, from the irritation of the retained 
Semen, unless sexual desire is weak, or kept much 
under control. If the Vas Deferens of an animal be 
cut out, or tied, it is found that the Testicle still se- 
cretes the Semen, though it cannot escape, showing 
that the power of secretion is not lost by the impossi- 
bility of emission. 



DISEASES OF THE SEMINAL VESICLES. 

The precise use of these two organs is yet a matter 
of dispute among physiologists, some regarding them 
as real Glands, by which a peculiar liquor is secreted 
to mix with the Semen, while others look upon them as 
mere reservoirs in which the Semen accumulates pre- 
vious to its emission. When dried and injected the 
Vesicles are seen to be two Tubes convoluted and 
turned upon each other so closely that their parts look 
like cells. 

It appears certain that the Vesicles have consider- 
able contractile powers, and this has favored the idea 
of their being intended to contain the Semen and af- 
terwards eject it during coition. When examined after 
death, however, they do not contain Semen, but are 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 129 

filled with a yellowish fluid apparently peculiar to 
themselves. Their precise use is therefore as yet un- 
known. 

They appear to be subject to obstruction and oblit- 
eration like the Vas Deferens, but we have no means 
of detecting such derangements, nor can we propose 
any remedy. 

RUPTURE. 

The cavity of the Abdomen, which contains the in- 
testines, and several other organs, is enclosed behind 
by the back bone, and on the front and sides by a 
number of large flat muscles, forming what is called 
" the walls of the Abdomen." So long as these walls 
remain intact the intestines are kept in their place, 
but if a break occurs in the walls they press out, and 
form what is called a Rupture, which is nothing more 
than the Intestines, or the Omentum which covers 
them, breaking through the muscular fibres and pro- 
truding outside the Abdominal walls. 

A Rupture may be caused at several places by vio- 
lence, but there is one place in particular, in the man, 
in which it is very liable to occur without any violence; 
in fact, he may be born with it, or it may result from 
such simple actions as crying, or coughing. 

This place, where ruptures ordinarily occur, is in the 
groin, on both sides, at what is called the inguinal ring, 
which is an opening, or break in the walls naturally ex- 
isting. The necessity for such an opening in the walls 
results from the fact that the Testicles are placed out- 
side the Abdomen, and there must be a passage by 
which they can be connected with the necessary arter- 
ies, veins, nerves, and other vessels in the interior of 
the Abdomen, from which they derive their nutrition 
and nervous sensibility. These vessels, together with 
the Vas Deferens, or seminal canal, are all matted 
together in what is called the spermatic cord, and 
which passes into the Abdomen through the inguinal 
ring. 



130 DISEASES OF THE TKSTES. 

So long as the cord fills or fully occupies the ring, of 
course nothing else can pass through it, but when it 
is much relaxed, or enlarged by violence, or strains of 
any kind, then the Intestines or Omentum are apt to 
obtrude also, and thus form a rupture. In most infants, 
as before explained, the Testicles descend into the Ab- 
domen at birth, and the ring closes up to a great extent, 
so as to accommodate only the cord, and sometimes 
the Intestines descend with the Testicles, and then 
we have one form of Infantile Rupture. 

In adult life, Rupture is apt to be both painful and 
dangerous, because the protruding Intestines may be- 
come pinched or strangulated in the ring, which, of 
course, stops all passage down them, and inflamma- 
tion, or mortification even, may rapidly ensue. 

The first symptoms of a rupture are pain and swell- 
ing in the groin, on either or both sides, increased by 
motion, cr by attempting to move the bowels ; when 
such symptoms are felt, a man should at once lie down 
on his back, keep perfectly quiet, and send at once for a 
surgeon. Very often on lying down on the back, 
and pressing the swelling gently with the hand, it will 
return into the Abdomen, but no force should be used 
except by those who know how to apply it. 

When once the Rupture is reduced, or returned, a 
proper Truss must be worn, which presses a pad over 
the opening and so prevents the Rupture returning. 
In young people a properly applied Truss will often 
bring the walls of the opening so close together that 
they will adhere, and thus close it up again naturally, 
when, of course, the Truss is no longer needed. The 
same result often follows an operation, in which the 
walls of the opening are cut, and drawn together, till 
they adhere, and thus is obtained a radical cure. In 
most cases, however, a confirmed Rupture necessitates 
a Truss always, the degree of comfort and safety from 
which depends upon the skill with which it is made 
and fitted. 

It is not my purpose to speak of the various kinds 
of Trusses by different makers ; it is best for the pa- 



DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 131 

tient to be guided in the selection by the surgeon he 
employs. There is much deception and pretension 
about them, and it is best not to depend too implicitly 
upon the statements put forward by their makers only. 

The object of this article is not to show a man how 
to treat rupture himself, but to explain what it is, 
and if he will read this carefully, and study the Plates 
on the subject, he will have no difficulty in under- 
standing it. The only thing to do, when the trouble 
is felt, is to keep quiet, on the back, and send at once 
for the best surgeon at hand. 

Rupture is very prevalent — perhaps a majority of 
men are afflicted with it, more or less, and are inca- 
pacitated in consequence from following various occu- 
pations, except at great risk. Women are not liable 
to this accident in the same way as men, because they 
have no open inguinal ring. 

When a man needs a Truss it is of the greatest im- 
portance it should fit properly, for if it does not it 
may not only fail to keep up the Rupture, but may 
cause inflammation of the parts, and by pressing im- 
properly on the cord may cut oft the supply of blood 
and Nerve power to the Testicles, and thus cause them 
tc become powerless or waste away. Many men 
have been made impotent in this way from a badly 
fitted Truss. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE STRUCTURE, DISEASES, AND* MALFORMATIONS 

OF THE PENIS AND THE PARTS IMMEDIATELY 

CONNECTED WITH IT. 

The Penis is a hollow spongy organ down which 
runs the passage from the bladder, called the Urethra, 
by which the urine escapes, and which also serves for 
the exit of the semen, as before explained. 

The body of the Penis consists of two distinct parts, 
each of which is very porous, or rather spongy. The 
upper part, which is the largest, is called the Corpus 
Cavernosum ; the under part, which is much the same 
in its structure, is called the Corpus Spongiosum. 
Both parts extend from the Pelvic Bones to the Glans 
at the end. The Corpus Cavernosum is divided down 
the middle into two parts, by a septum, or partition, 
and some physiologists on that account speak of two 
Cavernous bodies, or the Corpora Cavernosa ; it is, 
however, strictly but one. These two parts are rounded 
on the under edge, so that when they come flat to- 
gether there is a groove formed underneath, and in 
this groove lies the Urethra. They are both firmly 
attached to the front bones of the Pelvis under the 
Perineum, by two roots called the Crura Penis. 

The Corpus Spongiosum surrounds the Canal of the 
Urethra underneath, and fills up the remainder of the 
groove, so as to round the whole organ. It terminates 
posteriorly in what is called the Bulb of the Urethra. 

The whole organ is surrounded by the skin, except- 
ing the end, where we find a body called the Glans 
Penis, which is both different and separate from either 
of those described. The inner fold of the skin of the 

132 



PENIS CUT THROUGH VERTICALLY. 




S. Vesicle. 
Ejaculatory CanaL 



Cowper's Glard. Prostate Gland. 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 133 

Penis is attached to the termination of the Corpus 
Cavernosum, while the outer fold is extended beyond, 
so that it only partly covers the Glans but is not 
attached to it, and may be drawn back. This loose 
skin is called the prepuce, ox foreskin, and is the part 
cut off in the rite of circumcision. In some persons it 
extends farther over the Glans than it does in others, 
but generally leaves more or less of it exposed. The 
Glans is probably an enlargement of the peculiar 
erectile tissue surrounding the Urethra, and is covered 
by a highly sensitive and vascular skin, of an exceed- 
ingly delicate structure. It is in the form of a section 
of a cone, and terminates on the posterior or upper 
margin by an elevated ridge, called the Corona Gland- 
is, behind which is a depression called the Cervix, or 
Neck. In this depression are several glands called the 
Glandula Odorifera, which produce a whitish secre- 
tion, of a peculiar odor, that sometimes accumulates in 
great quantities in those who neglect proper cleanli- 
ness. On the under side of the glans the prepuce is 
attached nearly at the end, by a fold, or ligament, 
called the FrcEfium, or Ligamentum Prceputii. This 
ligament, or cord, is sometimes too short, and during 
erection is so pulled upon as to cause great annoyance ; 
occasionally it even ruptures, or tears, causing severe 
pain, with loss of blood. 

These parts constitute the substance of the Penis, 
and are therefore most essential to the performance of 
its proper functions. 

The peculiarity of the structure of the Corpus Cav- 
ernosum and of the Corpus Spongiosum, consists in 
their being full of curiously arranged blood vessels and 
cells, or cavities, like those of sponge, all communi- 
cating with each other, and being connected with the 
main branches of an artery and a vein. In ordinary 
states these vessels, excepting the larger ones, and also 
the cells, are nearly or quite empty, but under appro- 
priate excitement the blood from the artery is impelled 
into them and fills them up, in consequence of which 
the organ enlarges, like a sponge when filled with . 



PLATE X. 
Fig. i. The Bladder and Penis laid open. 

a, The inside of the Bladder. — 3, b y The Ureters, or 
Tubes which convey the Urine from the Kidneys to 
the Bladder. — c, c, The Vasa Deferentia. — d y d, 
The mouths of the Ureters. — e, The Prostate Gland. 
—ft The Veru Montanum. — g, Openings of the 
Seminal Ducts. — h, The Ischio Cavernous Muscles, 
which assist in erection. — i, i, The Bulb of the 
Urethra. — k, k, Cowper's Glands. — /, The wide 
part of the Urethra. — m, The narrow part. — n. 
The second wide part, called the Fossa Navicularis. 
— o, The Glans.— p, The Prepuce. — q, The Me- 
atus Urinarius, or external opening of the Urethra. 

The Cellular, or spongy structure of the body of the 
Penis is shown on one side, like a honey-comb ; and 
the distribution of its blood-vessels on the other. 

Fig. 2. Cross Section of the Penis. 

a> a y The Corpus Cavernosum. — b, The division or 
septum between the two parts of the Corpus Caver- 
nosum. — c, The Corpus Spongiosum. — d, The 
Urethra. — e, The great Vein of the Penis. 



134 



PLATE X» 





Fij?. 1 



Fig. 2 



Section of Penis and Bladder. 



136 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

water. This is called the Phenomenon of Erection, 
and it depends upon a peculiar sensibility proper to the 
parts, which are therefore sometimes spoken of as 
being composed of Erectile Tissue, There is no other 
part of the body that in any way resembles the Penis in 
structure, except the Clitoris in the female, which has 
a similar Tissue, and is usually capable of erection to a 
certain extent, in precisely the same way. 

When the excitement is withdrawn the blood or- 
dinarily flows back by way of the cavernosus vein, and 
the erection subsides, but sometimes its return is pre- 
vented, and the erection then remains, though all ex- 
citement has gone. —The Corpus Spongiosum is so dis- 
tinct from the Corpus Cavernosum that erection will 
sometimes take place in one and not in the other, 
which necessarily curves the organ, or draws it into the 
form of a bow, producing what is termed a chordee. 
The erection, and emission of semen, is also assisted 
by a number of different muscles, particularly by one 
called the Erector Penis, or Ischio Cavernosus Muscle. 
Sometimes in erection the rush of blood will be so 
sudden and violent that the vessels will burst, and the 
erectile tissue be thus totally destroyed. In some per- 
sons the filling up of the blood-vessels always oc- 
curs in a very short time, while in others it is the re- 
verse ; and in like manner the erection subsides in a 
short time in some, while in others it will continue 
for a long period and subside very slowly. This 
depends upon some peculiarity in the action of the 
blood-vessels, not fully understood. In old age the 
blood generally flows in slower, and flows out much 
quicker than it does in youth, so that the erection is 
longer in taking place and goes down more rapidly. 

The uses of the Penis, as before remarked, are two- 
fold ; firstly it serves as a conduit, to convey the urine 
from the body, and secondly as a conductor to carry the 
semen into the female organs. For the first use erection 
is not necessary, but it is for the second, and therefore 
its proper occurrence is both natural and essential to 
the performance of one of the functions of our nature. 






DISEASES OF THE PI. IS. 137 

The form of this organ varies in different animals, 
for the purpose of adaptation, and is sometimes very 
singular. In some it is covered with spines, so as to give 
great pain to the female during connexion, as in the cat, 
while in others its structure causes that act to be much 
lengthened, as in the dog. In birds the male organ is 
merely rudimentary, so that there is no actual union, 
properly speaking, but merely an emission into the 
female organs. In the human being there are occa- 
sional deviations from the ordinary development, and 
sometimes even peculiarities in structure. Thus, in- 
stances have been known of the interior of the Corpus 
Cavernosum being more or less ossified, so that a dis- 
tinct bone always existed in the middle of the organ. 
This is often the case in negroes, and in some of the 
lower animals it is natural. In a few rare instances 
the penis has been found double, or rather divided into 
two parts, only one of which of course contains a 
urethra, though both may be capable of erection, as I 
observed in one case in my own practice. Probably 
amputation of the imperfect part might have been 
safely effected, but as little inconvenience was experi- 
enced, it was not thought necessary. 

The various peculiarities of structure and develop- 
ment that interfere with the functions of this part wil 
be treated under appropriate heads as we proceed. 



ABSENCE AND MALFORMATION OF THE PENIS. 

Besides being liable to be lost by several accidents, 
and by necessary operations, the Penis may also be 
deficient from birth. I have seen instances where it 
was not more than a quarter of an inch in length, and 
sometimes only a slight swelling, like the top of a 
small tumor. In such cases of course there can be no 
connexion, but still such men may be fathers, provid- 
ing all the other parts are perfect, because, as before 
explained, the semen may impregnate if it be only 
shed within the external lips, which may of course be 



loO DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

effected in the worst of these instances. I have known 
instances of married couples, with families, who never 
had any association, from similar causes. It is un- 
necessary to say, however, that marriage should never 
take place in such cases without the nature of the in- 
firmity being first known, though I believe the law 
would declare any marriage binding if impregnation 
was possible. In giving an opinion under such cir- 
cumstances,^ is, however, difficult to decide this point. 
In general, in healthy females, the placing of the se- 
men artificially in the vagina will induce conception, 
but not always. Hunter relates an instance where he 
advised the injection of the semen with a syringe, after 
its escape from the husband, and impregnation fol- 
lowed. There are some females, however, in whom 
its absorption will not take place without a certain 
amount of excitement, dependent upon actual associa- 
tion, so that there will always be more or less uncer- 
tainty, and much less probability than when no such 
deprivation exists. Independent of this, however, 
there are other considerations that should forbid the 
marrying of men so situated, unless with a full knowl- 
edge of the circumstances, and its consequences, by 
both. In some of these cases, especially when a por- 
tion of the organ is left, as after operations and acci- 
dents, the difficulty may be much remedied by an 
instrument, so constructed as to fit on the part remain- 
ing, and resembling that which is lost. I have known 
instances of conception following the use of such an 
instrument, when the penis itself was not more than a 
quarter of an inch long. But then the semen was 
formed in great quantities, and was quite healthy. 

In some children the Penis is tied down to the 
Scrotum, or some other of the neighboring parts, by 
bands, which never allow it to be extended, and of 
course prevent the performance of its functions. I saw 
one child of seven years in whom it grew flat on the 
Abdomen, causing great trouble and annoyance in 
urinating, from the direction in which the fluid had to 
flow. Nearly all such cases can be easily corrected by 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 139 

a slight operation at any age, the adhesion being usu- 
ally only by the skin, but they are better attended to 
early in life. The one referred to was put right very 
readily, and in two years' time scarcely a trace of the 
operation could be seen. 

Occasionally the Penis will have a wrong direction, 
being turned so much either on one side, under, or 
upwards, that association is impossible. If this de- 
pends upon contraction of the skin, or of the muscular 
fibres, it may be corrected by simply dividing them, 
but if it results from a tumor, or swelling, that must be 
removed before any alteration can be effected. Aneu- 
risms, and swellings of the veins, will sometimes bring 
about such deviations, and so will too long continued 
erection, by rupturing some of the cells or vessels, and 
so causing accumulation of blood. I knew one in- 
stance of this kind in which every time erection oc- 
curred a large tumor was formed on the left side full of 
blood, which of course turned the end of the organ to 
the right side, and thus prevented connexion. This 
accident had been caused by numerous forcible and 
long-continued erections in one night, during intoxica- 
tion. The tumor was as large as an egg, and when 
full could be distinctly felt to pulsate. It was also 
very painful, and appeared almost ready to burst. 
The remedies proposed were cold astringent lotions 
and wearing a thin flat plate of smooth horn over the 
part, bound on so firmly as to prevent any swelling 
from accumulation of blood. This plan succeeded 
very well in giving relief, though it is probable there 
will always be more or less tendency to a recurrence of 
the trouble. 

Besides Scrofulous and other Tumors in the Penis 
there will sometimes be bony swellings, and accumula- 
tions like calculi or stone in the bladder. These may 
either compress the Urethra, and so prevent the pas- 
sage of the Urine and Semen, or they may curve the 
organ so as to prevent its use ; in general, however, 
they can be removed. 

Sometimes the Fraenum. or cord that binds down the 



140 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

prepuce at the end underneath, will be so short or 
contracted that during evacuation the point of the 
Glans will be pulled under. This not only prevents 
the Semen being thrown straight forward, but even 
prevents connexion in many instances, either from 
causing severe pain, or by bending the end of the 
organ so much downwards. This difficulty is easily 
remedied, by cutting through the cord with a pair of 
scissors, or a lancet. I advised a gentleman out West 
how to do this, and he wrote afterwards to inform me 
that he had suceeeded perfectly with his razor. It is 
simply necessary to take care to cut only deep enough 
to just sever the cord, and afterwards to keep the parts 
stretched asunder, so that they do not grow together 
again ; a simple dressing of cloths dipt in cold water is 
all that is required after. I have known the cord to be 
eaten through with caustic, but the plan is not so good 
as cutting, being more tedious and painful, and leav- 
ing a larger scar. In some persons it is broken sud- 
denly during a violent erection, or on attempting coition, 
but such accidents are always painful, and are better 
avoided by a timely operation. 

HYPOSPADIAS. 

This term means a case where the end of the Urethra 
does not come to the end of the Penis, but opens ttn- 
dcrneath, the passage not reaching the whole length of 
the organ. This state of things sometimes follows 
severe venereal cases, and other accidents, but its 
causes when congenital are of course unknown to us, 
and frequently but little success attends its treatment. 

This malformation is a cause of great trouble and 
annoyance in urinating, and interferes more or less 
with the power of impregnating, though it by no 
means prevents it altogether, as was formerly sup- 
posed. 

Sometimes the opening is close by the Fraenum, and 
during erection it is firmly closed, owing to the pressure, 
so that the Semen cannot escape from the Urethra. 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 141 

In such cases there cannot be impregnation, unless the 
Semen flows after the erection has somewhat subsided, 
but this it will not always do, because it may run back- 
wards into the bladder, and in such cases the patient 
is necessarily impotent. 

When the Semen escapes freely, providing it be 
within the female organ, conception may or may not 
take place, according to circumstances, let the opening 
be where it may. 

At other times the opening is so near the body that 
the Semen, when it does escape, cannot enter the 
female organs. In such cases the only resort left is 
artificial impregnation, as before explained. 

The nearer the opening is to the end of the Penis, 
generally speaking, the more chance there is of suc- 
cess, and the nearer it is to the body the less. In some 
situations any kind of treatment is out of the question. 
When it is close to the body the Urine and Semen run 
down the Scrotum or Perineum, unless an instrument 
be worn to prevent it, causing constant irritation and 
annoyance. 

Sometimes there are two openings, but they seldom 
communicate, and the fluids nearly always escape by 
one only. 

It was formerly considered, even by the most emi- 
nent surgeons, that it was impossible to operate with 
any prospect of success in these cases, from the nature 
of the parts, and from the constant flow of Urine ; they 
therefore advised to leave them alone, and provide the 
sufferer with the best remedial instruments, to lessen 
the inconvenience. In modern times, however, success 
has attended numerous attempts to correct this malfor- 
mation, and under favorable circumstances it is always 
attempted. 

The mode of operation is simply to pass a small 
sharp-pointed instrument, straight through the Penis, 
along where the natural opening should be, and thus 
make an artificial passage, which is kept open by bou- 
gies till the cut edges have healed and there is no 
danger of it growing up again. When this is fully ac~ 



142 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

complished a catheter is introduced, and the edges of 
the old opening underneath are made raw and held 
together, by needles or other contrivances, till they 
adhere, and thus the opening is closed. In this way a 
new passage is formed in the proper direction, and the 
old unnatural one is permanently obliterated. There 
are, however, many circumstances that may make the 
success of the operation very uncertain, and some that 
may forbid it bein^ attempted. 

In general the proper canal of the urethra exists, but 
in a small state, and is closed only at the very end, by 
a thick membrane. This membrane may usually be 
easily cut through, and the canal enlarged by bougies, 
by which means, if the false opening can be closed, a 
perfect cure can be obtained. Sometimes, however, 
there is no trace of the urethra, and the passage has to 
be cut through the solid flesh the whole distance, 
which is apt to excite so much inflammation that no 
bougie can be worn, and then all grows up again. 
The false opening is also so large in some cases, or the 
edges are so thin, that it cannot be closed, and then 
the new opening may be of little use, though it be 
formed. In some of these cases, however, a small tube 
can be worn internally, extending just past the opening 
underneath, so as to conduct the semen and urine to 
the proper opening at the end ; or a piece of gum elastic, 
or oiled silk, maybe worn firmly over the opening exter- 
nally, to effect the same object. By such means many 
a sufferer has been enabled to urinate in comfort, in 
the natural way, and many an impotent man has be- 
come a father. 

Instances have been known where the false opening 
was between the Testicles, or even in the Perineum, and 
yet it has been perfectly closed and a new one made 
the whole length of the Penis. Such operations, how- 
ever, require great skill in the surgeon and much en- 
durance in the patient. 

In many instances, when the false opening is near 
the end of the Penis, it will be found that the proper 
passage is continued the whole length of the organ and 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 143 

merely closed at the mouth by a skin. I knew a man 
who was troubled in this way, the opening being just at 
the base of the glans, who could close i^with his finger 
and send the urine along the natural passage till it 
made the skin at the end project Having heard me 
explain about this in some of my Lectures he deter- 
mined to try and operate himself; accordingly he took 
the sharp end of a penknife, and where the skin pro- 
jected strongly he made a small puncture very readily, 
through which the urine escaped immediately. The 
inflammation soon subsided and the new opening re- 
mained, so that by always closing the old one with his 
finger he could urinate as well as if nothing was wrong. 
I told him that the old opening could be easily closed 
permanently, by another slight operation, but he felt 
so well content with what was already done, and suf- 
fered so little inconveience, that he would not consent 
to anything further. 

One of the greatest difficulties is in keeping a cathe- 
ter in sufficiently long to make the urine flow down the 
new passage while the old opening grows together. 
Very often the place will be nearly closed, and then a 
rush of urine will come and break it open, destroying 
all that had been done. In old cases also the edges 
are apt to be very thin and ragged, and the orifice 
large, so that a perfect junction is next to impossible. 
If there is any scrofulous tendency also, the probability 
of its ever closing is very small. In many of these 
cases, as in external abscess of the Prostate Gland, the 
wound may be perfectly healed for a time, but break 
out again without any apparent reason. 

Many of these deformities can be corrected in infancy, 
or early youth, and they should therefore be always 
shown to experienced surgeons immediately they are 
detected, and not concealed, as they are by some 
parents. It is difficult to say to what age success is 
possible in such cases, probably there is no particular 
limit ; some have been operated upon at thirty, and 
others even at forty, or more, but the earlier the better. 
In general the development of the Penis is more or 



144: DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

less imperfect above the false opening, and when the 
full generative power is desirable this must also be cor- 
rected, by means which I will explain in another 
article. Sometimes it is even necessary to effect this 
development before the operation can be performed. 

EPISPADIAS. 

This affection is precisely the reverse of the former, 
the false opening being on the top of the Penis instead 
of underneath. It is much more rare than Hypos- 
padias, and is somewhat more difficult to treat, owing 
to the opening being farther from the natural passage. 
The orifice will sometimes be near the end and some- 
times close by the Pubic bone, occasionally being a 
little on one side. 

The mode of operation is exactly the same as in 
Hypospadias, but, as before remarked, it is more diffi- 
cult and the chances of success are less. 

PHYMOSIS. 

In this malformation the skin of the prepuce comes 
completely over the Glans, and the opening at the end 
is so contracted that it can never be drawn back. 
This condition of the organ is both unpleasant, an- 
noying, and dangerous, because it prevents proper 
cleanliness, and thus disposes to various diseases. The 
secretion of the Glandulae Odorifera is apt to accumu- 
late under the skin, and in conjunction with the urine 
to create serious inflammation. Calculi will also 
form, like those in the bladder, and the swelling will 
sometimes be so great that neither semen nor urine 
can pass. In many cases of Phymosis the swelling is 
so great as to cause severe pain during erection, and 
the Glans is so compressed in consequence, that the 
semen cannot escape, and thus the individual is im- 
potent. 

The means of giving relief are very simple. It is only 
necessary to introduce an instrument carefully under 



DISEASES OF THI2 PKXI8. 145 

the skin and cut up the Prepuce, so as to let it open. 
This may be done with but little trouble or pain, and 
with slight danger from inflammation if a simple dress- 
ing of cold water be applied. It is sometimes neces- 
sary to cut off the edges of the wound a little with 
scissors, particularly if they are anyways callous, or 
ragged. The whole prepuce is at times so hard and 
unyielding that it becomes necessary to practice com- 
plete circumcision. 

PARAPHYMOSIS. 

In this case the prepuce is drawn back, over the 
Corona Glandis, compressing the organ like a tightly 
drawn cord. In some it is permanently in this situa- 
tion, while in others the patient has drawn it over the 
Glans and has not been able to slip it back again, 
owing to the smallness of the opening and the swelling 
of the parts. When it results from this cause it will 
often be sufficient to use cold lotions for a time, to 
reduce the swelling, and lubricate the parts with some 
Belladonna Ointment, when the prepuce may be drawn 
over without difficulty. Sometimes a little bleeding 
may be necessary, or a few leeches on some of the 
neighboring parts. 

The only certain cure is to cut the Prepuce in 
the same way as for Phymosis, which will of course 
prevent any return of the difficulty. Patients with 
Phymosis are very apt to change that trouble into 
Paraphymosis by their attempts to draw the Prepuce 
back, and to stretch it. 

In young children both these states may exist without 
causing any great annoyance, but as they approach 
puberty serious trouble may be experienced suddenly. 
It is, therefore, very necessary for parents to observe 
such accidents, and watch their progress, particularly 
near puberty, so that the Surgeon may be applied to in 
time. Many a man has suffered for life, both physically 
and morally, from neglect of this kind while he was a 
child. 



146 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

I once knew an instance of a youth who had a per- 
manent Paraphymosis that had never caused him any- 
trouble till he was about twelve years old, when it 
began to pain him whenever he urinated, and later, 
when erection occurred, severely. When about four- 
teen years of age, in consequence of some unusual irri- 
tation, the parts swelled very much, and the Prepuce 
was drawn so tightly around that the Glans was per- 
fectly strangulated. Not being in the habit of speaking 
about such matters to his parents he concealed it till 
the agony was so great he could hold out no longer. 
On a physician being sent for it was found that the parts 
had begun to gangrene, and the urine had been re- 
tained so long that inflammation of the bladder had 
also supervened. By prompt treatment the most 
urgent symptoms were alleviated, and after a time the 
Prepuce was cut through, so as to give permanent 
relief. The patient, however, came very near losing 
the organ itself, if not his life, through want of a 
proper confidence and habit of communication between 
him and his parents. 

Both Phymosis and Paraphymosis may result from 
the inflammation attendant upon other diseases, partic- 
ularly those of a venereal character, and then it is 
usually only requisite to remove the primary affection to 
give relief, though sometimes the operation is needed. 

It is necessary to state here that many a child has 
become addicted to Masturbation, and has perished in 
consequence, simply from having a neglected Phy- 
mosis; the secretion accumulating under the skin, 
causing constant irritation and leading to manipulations 
ithat would not otherwise be thought of. 

I have known men to operate upon themselves, and 
-successfully too, for both these affections ; a penknife, 
or pair of scissors being the only instrument used. No 
cutting should, however, be practised on these parts 
when there is venereal disease, because the wound may 
innoculate p , and thus the disease be spread. 

In some persons the Prepuce is absent altogether, 
and attempts have been made, under such circum- 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 147 

stances, to form a new one, by bringing forward the 
skin below, but no great success has attended the oper- 
ation, nor is it at all essential. The only reason given 
for desiring it is that the Glans is apt to lose part of 
its sensibility when constantly uncovered, which is un- 
doubtedly the case, as may be seen among Jews and 
others who have been circumcised ; but this is a slight 
inconvenience, even if it is not often an advantage, as 
it certainly makes the person less liable to contract 
disease. The practice of circumcision undoubtedly 
prevents many evils, both physical and moral, and is 
to be commended, if for no other reason, that it calls 
attention to the condition of the organs in time. 

WANT OF DEVELOPMENT, OR CONGENITAL SMALL 
SIZE OF THE PENIS. 

It is sometimes difficult to say whether the Penis is 
too short or not, because there is no precise standard of 
limitation, and in different people the development 
varies much. In some persons it never grows from the 
condition in which we find it in childhood, while in 
others it will attain a medium size, and in others again 
it will be nearly rudimentary. This may also be totally 
independent of any deficiency in the other organs, 
though most usually they correspond more or less* 
Thus I have seen a man of forty years of age in whom 
the Penis was only two inches long, and about as thick 
as the little finger, but whose Testes were of a full 
average size, and who had strong sexual feelings, with 
a full flow of Semen. Sometimes the organ can 
scarcely be traced at all, being merely like a wart, or 
small tumor. 

When the non-development of the Penis is dependent 
upon a general torpor of the genital organs, more es- 
pecially of the Testes, their action must be aroused, 
and their functions fully established, in the manner 
pointed out in the chapter on the Testes. If this can 
be done the Penis may be made to grow even to an 
advanced period of life, as I have there shown. 



148 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

In those cases in which the Penis alone is not suffi- 
ciently developed a different treatment is required, as it 
is simply a local effect we wish to produce. In some 
of these instances the organ, though small, is capable 
of perfect erection, and both connexion and impregna- 
tion may be effected by its means ; it is not then a 
matter of such urgent moment for any improvement to 
be effected, though under certain circumstances it 
may be desirable. More frequently, however, erection 
either does not take place at all, or so imperfectly and 
irregular that impregnation can seldom be effected, 
even artificially Under such circumstances it is a 
matter of the greatest consequence to produce an in- 
creased development, so that both these functions may 
be performed, and it may be both new and pleasing 
to many persons to learn that there are means by 
which this desirable end may be often attained, even 
under the most unpromising circumstances. It is 
proper to remark, however, that the cases now referred 
to are those in which the small size is congenital, or ex- 
isting from birth, and not those in which the organ 
has decreased, from disease or excess, after having been 
of average development, though even in some of them, 
when the constitutional stamina is not too much im- 
paired, the same means will frequently restore what 
has been temporarily lost. 

The causes that prevent the proper development of 
this organ, as well as of others, are of course unknown 
in those cases that are congenital, because they operate 
before birth, but in those that become arrested in child- 
hood or youth, we generally trace it to early masturba- 
tion, blows on the Testicles, and other accidents, or to 
some severe disease which has impaired the vital en- 
ergy very much. Some diseases are particularly apt 
to affect young persons in this way, as the Mumps, for 
instance, which often make the Testes swell. 

Scarlet Fever and Measles, when severe, I have 
known to seriously injure the virile power, but not so 
frequently as rickets or scrofula. 

To effect an enlargement of the Penis, in addition to 



DISEASES OP THE PEXIS. 149 

every means proper to improve the general health, and 
impart stamina, there are certain mechanical and 
manual applications, the effects of which, under right 
direction, are often of the most unexpected and pleasing 
character. To understand the nature of these, and 
their mode of action, it is necessary to bear in mind 
the anatomical structure of the organ, and the requis- 
ites for erection. That phenomenon, it will be recol- 
lected from our previous description, depends essen- 
tially upon the filling up of the. vessels and cells of the 
spongy and cavernous bodies with blood, and of course 
if from any cause the blood does not flow into them, 
erection cannot take place. Now this is precisely the 
fault that is found to exist in most of the cases of non- 
development above referred to, and is what requires to 
be corrected. On dissecting such cases after death we 
find that the cells and minute vessels have never been 
congested or filled with blood, and consequently the 
organ has never been able to grow nor become erected. 
In the same way, after long-continued excess, or debil- 
itating disease, the artery seems to lose its power of 
transmitting the blood with sufficient vigor, and the 
cells, from want of being filled, decrease in size, and 
eventually grow up more or less, causing the organ to 
shrink. This is the reason also why absolute suppres- 
sion of sexual excitement, if continued too long, will 
make the organ waste away, instead of increasing its 
power, as many uninformed people suppose. 

The object to be accomplished, it will be seen, is to 
open these cells, and cause the blood to flow into them, 
so as gradually to increase their size and dispose them 
to fill spontaneously, from natural excitement. 

In some persons, who have always shunned all 
thoughts of sexual matters, from a notion that they 
are improper, it is sometimes sufficient merely to en- 
courage such thoughts to a proper extent, and the ex- 
citement this gives rise to in the parts will act favor- 
ably on their growth. In others the daily employment 
of a warm local bath, with brisk rubbing, and the use 
of a stimulating ointment, will be found still more 



150 DISEASES OF THE PEXIS. 

efficacious ; and if this treatment be regularly persisted 
in, under judicious direction, combined with proper in- 
ternal remedies, it will succeed in a large number of 
the cases ordinarily met with. It is requisite, however, 
that the external and internal stimulants should be ex- 
actly apportioned to the wants and capabilities of the 
individual's system, and that a strict watch should be 
kept upon the action and effects of each, so as to know 
when to increase or decrease their power, and when to 
suspend their action altogether. Until over forty years 
of age, if the form of the organ is perfect, and its de- 
velopment not too small, a considerable change may 
be effected in this way, though the younger the patient 
is, the more readily the parts are acted upon. 

I once had a patient call upon me from Cuba, the 
son of a rich planter, who was troubled with this 
imperfection, and who was intensely desirous that it 
might be remedied so as to allow of marriage. — He 
was about twenty-three years of age, and of a strong 
robust habit of body, with excellent health. On 
examination the Penis was found about two inches 
and a half in length, and about as thick as the fore- 
finger, properly formed, but with little more sensibil- 
ity than any other part of the body. The Testicles 
were fully developed, and the sexual feeling was 
quite strong. There had been frequent emissions ot 
semen, under strong excitement, but no erection, and 
consequently no connexion could take place. — Upon 
enquiry I found that he had been brought up to a very 
rigid code of morals, and had imbibed certain notions 
about the necessity of not indulging sexual desires, if 
the mind was wished to become powerful, and as he 
was very ambitious of distinction he made a perfect 
anchorite of himself. • The bodily effect of such a 
course has been seen, — its effect on the mind was to 
make him wayward, irritable, and unhappy. A short 
time before he came on to see me he met with a young 
lady with whom he fell violently in love, and immedi- 
ately the desire for marriage arose, but with it came 
the fear that he was totally incapacitated. The new 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 151 

desire, so strongly awakened, together with the fears 
he felt, operated so intensely upon him that he became 
almost insane. On assuring him, however, that there 
was a reasonable prospect of his attaining a more per- 
fect state he became calmer, and patiently submitted 
vhimself to the prescribed treatment. 

The first object was to induce as much heat as pos- 
sible in the organ, so as to promote the flow of blood 
to it. This was accomplished by the use of a hot 
stimulating lotion two or three times a day, followed 
by brisk rubbing with flannel and soft brushes. In 
three weeks the effect of ' this treatment became 
obvious, -erections occurred, partial at first, but ulti- 
mately quite forcible, and the organ evidently began 
to increase permanently in size. In addition to this, 
he was directed to use some stimulant drops and to 
live generously, to impart as much vigor as possible to 
the Generative Organs. The flow of semen soon 
became much larger than before under this treatment^ 
and the procreative instinct much more powerful. 
There was still one fault, however, and that was a 
want of power in the muscles which assist in erection 
and coition, more especially in the Erector Penis 
muscle. This was remedied by frequent shampooing y 
and pressing of their fibres till they acquired volume 
and firmness, the same as any other muscle would do 
under similar treatment. 

This system was rigidly pursued for six months under 
my own inspection, at the end of which time the Penis was 
four inches long when erect, and quite firm, so that coition 
was possible. At this period he was desirous to return 
home, and as he was evidently determined to pursue 
the same treatment himself I consented to his doing 
so, though I would have preferred for him to have 
staid still longer. I heard from him eleven months 
after his departure, and he then informed me that the 
improvement had still continued, till he no longer 
thought it necessary to proceed. He was then intend- 
ing to marry in about three months. The delight and 
gratitude of this young man were unbounded, rescued 



152 DISEASES OF THE PEXIS. 

as he was from the very depths of despondency and 
despair, and raised, as he expressed it, * ' to the highest 
pitch of human happiness." 

In the course of my practice I have had numerous 
similar cases, some of them resulting satisfactorily from 
the same treatment, and others requiring a different 
plan, which I will now explain. 

When the means above described fail to induce a 
sufficient flow of blood into the erectile Tissue, an in- 
strument is employed, called a Congester. It consists 
of a tube, the size of which is adapted to the organ, to 
which is fitted an exhausting Air-Pump. The Penis 
being introduced into this tube, the air is more or less 
exhausted, and the blood of course flows into the con- * 
tained part immediately. So great is the rush of blood, 
in fact, that if the exhaustion were continued too far, or 
made too suddenly, the Tissue would burst. In a 
short time, with care, the part begins to swell and look 
red, and erection, more or Lss complete, soon takes 
place. This never fails, unless the vitality of the part be 
totally gone, or the structure of the Tissues completely 
disorganized. I have known patients in whom the 
whole organ was not half an inch long, and without 
the slightest tendency to erection, and yet the Con- 
gester has caused it to grow, and has given it power, 
until perfectly capable for its natural use. Sometimes 
there only appears a simple protuberance, like a Tumor, 
while at other times the organ is long, but surprisingly 
small, and quite flaccid, but still the Congester will 
impel the blood into the Tissues and produce the effect 
desired. Sometimes, it is true, we cannot gain so 
much as would be desirable, but nearly always suffi- 
cient for Nature's requirements, and very often as 
perfect in condition as if no imperfection had ever ex- 
isted. 

In conjunction with the Congester, it is also requisite, 
in most cases, to act upon the muscles by shampooing, 
as they are usually deficient in power, and without 
their action the Penis cannot erect, though it may be- 
come firmly congested. 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 153 

This practice of shampooing the Perineal and Gen- 
ital Muscles, to improve the erectile power, was origin- 
ated in Asia, but has been known and practised in 
Europe for many years. The process is both tedious 
and somewhat painful, and requires both skill and 
knowledge in the operation. In Turkey men make a 
regular business of this, and they succeed admirably. 
In this country it is necessary to direct th.2 patient 
himself, or hired assistants, and the constant super- 
vision of the medical man is therefore required. To 
perform this operation to advantage, it is best to have 
the parts made perfectly bare and smooth, and then 
lubricated with a proper ointment. The operator then 
presses the end of the forefinger firmly into the muscle, 
passing it along backwards and forwards, in the direc- 
tion of the fibres, till the muscle becomes hot and 
swells. This is done with all the muscles whose action 
is required, and it should be practised every day till 
the effect is manifest. At first the shampooing causes 
considerable pain and soreness, but this soon passes 
away, and then the muscle feels firm to the touch, and 
is found to be much larger. 

It must be recollected that the various means I have 
described require a long period to be put fully in opera- 
tion, and are such as can be commanded only by those 
who have plenty of time at their disposal. 

One of the most remarkable cases I ever treated was 
that of a young man of nineteen, who was brought to 
me by his father, himself a physician. In this person 
there was scarcely any appearance of a Penis, but only 
a small Tumor, not projecting more than a quarter of 
an inch, in the centre of which was the opening of the 
Urethra. It was quite sensitive, however, and seemed 
rather as if compressed downwards. The Testes were 
of average size, and the semen secreted in sufficient 
quantity, occasionally, so that little seemed wanting 
but size in the organ. I at once told his father that I 
felt assured much improvement could be obtained, but 
that it would require much time and attention, with 
great endurance on the part of the patient himself. 



154 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

They were both delighted to hear this, and the young 
man testified his desire that I should commence the 
treatment immediately, which I did. A Congester was 
constructed specially for the case, and applied daily. 
The lower part was of glass, so that its operation could 
be seen, and it was observed that immediately the tube 
was exhausted of air the Penis seemed to be drawn for- 
ward, and extended to fully two inches. The patient 
complained of great pain in the part during-the opera- 
tion, from the rush of blood into the cells, and it re- 
mained exceedingly tender for several days after. The 
Congester was not applied again till this soreness had 
subsided, but in the meantime the stimulating hot 
lotions were used, and shampooing of the muscles was 
practised. It was observed that even the first applica- 
tion had evidently caused some protrusion, and the 
young man remarked that the internal sensations were 
different from what he had ever before experienced. 
The internal medication in his case was of a more 
stimulating character than ordinary, because the sexual 
impulse was not very strong, and only occasionally 
manifested. His diet was directed to be as nourishing 
as possible, with wine for drink, and every day he rode 
out on horseback after a warm bath, followed by brisk 
rubbing of the whole surface of the body. After the 
first effect had subsided the Congester was used daily, 
and followed by the shampooing, for ten weeks, by 
which time a permanent advance had been made. 
The Penis measured full two inches in its ordinary 
state, and in the Congester was extended to three. 
Partial erections occurred at times during sleep, and 
the procreative instinct became more active and per- 
manent. I then directed him to return home for three 
months, and only continue the general treatment, so 
that I might see if Nature herself could complete the 
work. At the end of three months he came back to 
me with a still further improvement, though slight. 
He was then put under the old treatment again, and 
this time the effects were still more satisfactory. In 
two months, under the Congester, the Penis measured 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 155 

four inches, and in the ordinary state remained per- 
manently at three, with ordinary erections and copious 
emissions of semen. Finding, therefore, that every 
requirement of Nature could be fulfilled even as he 
was, and that further improvement would evidently 
take place with the growth of the system, I desisted 
from further treatment and sent him home ctired. His- 
father was as much astonished as gratified, and an- 
other physician, who had seen him and pronounced 
him a Hermaphrodite, would scarcely believe it was 
the same being. 

Another case was that of a man who had married 
at thirty-two, though imperfect, from a mistaken idea 
that marriage would effect a cure. The result may be 
imagined; the misery of two human beings could 
scarcely be more complete. In his despair a friend 
brought him to me for my opinion. On examination I 
found the Penis not very small, nor in any way imper- 
fect, but it had never been erected, and seemed incapa- 
ble of being so. The semen was secreted plentifully 
enough, and the instinct was as strong as was desirable. 
I told him without any hesitation that he could be 
made perfect enough for his marital duties in a short 
time, providing he would follow strictly my directions 
and submit to my treatment, which he was willing 
enough to do. The Congester was applied, and with the 
happiest results. At the third application a powerful 
erection was produced that did not subside for a consider- 
able time, owing to want of perfect action in the caver- 
nous veins. This, however, was soon remedied, and 
in two weeks, by the use of the Congester alone, natu- 
ral erections occurred spontaneously, as perfect as 
could be desired. In a word, he was quite cured, 
and is now the father of two children. 

I have also had numerous instances of persons who 
had lost the power of erection from sexual and other 
excesses, from mental anxieties, and from the effect of 
debilitating disease. In a great portion of these the 
result has also been favorable, though in many all 
vitality had left the organs before I saw them, and in 



158 DISEASES OF THE PElTIS. 

others the structure was completely disorganized. 
Many young men, especially victims of Masturbation, 
whose organs had ceased growing, have by these means 
been rescued from impotency and imperfection. Many 
a man of mature age also, whose powers were unim- 
paired, but who could not exercise them, owing to this 
particular debility, has been restored to his former 
capability in the same way. 

The Congester is not an instrument adapted for 
self- treatment, and I would not advise any one to at- 
tempt its use without proper directions and supervision. 
I have known it to do great mischief, with inexperi- 
enced people, and fail of accomplishing any good. In 
one man who had it applied too forcibly and suddenly 
the cells were nearly all ruptured, or broken into one 
another, so that severe inflammation was produced, 
and the power of erection was for ever lost by any 
means. It must be remembered, also, that the Con* 
gester is not proper in all cases of want of develop- 
ment, or loss of erectile power, and that when injudi- 
ciously used it may do serious injury. 

There are some means, however, that all persons 
may use, provided they know when they are appropri- 
ate to the case. The pressing and shampooing may 
be partially practiced by the patient himself, though 
very imperfectly, but the general directions as to diet 
and exercise may be observed of course by all. Per- 
haps, however, there is no other functional disability 
so difficult to treat, or that requires so much skill and 
such unremitting attention. 

In addition to the means already described there 
are some others occasionally useful, but which are not 
so generally applicable. Galvanism is sometimes an 
excellent agent, when there is nervous insensibility 
combined with the other disabilities. A very good 
mode to use it is to galvanize the metallic congester. 
while the organ is engaged within it. The power must 
not be too great, however, nor the application con- 
tinued too long, or there may be partial paralysis. 

The French have a practice of Flagellation, which 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 157 

is sometimes very efficacious, and will induce erection 
in a short time. It is rather severe, however, and few 
have courage or endurance sufficient to continue it 
long enough to derive full benefit. The Flagellator is 
made of six or eight small twisted thongs, about as 
thick as a violin string, but very flexible, and about 
eight inches long. To operate with it to the best ad- 
vantage the parts should be made bare, and perfectly 
smooth, and the Flagellator must then be applied the 
whole length of the Penis, and on the Pubes, Perineum, 
and inside of the thighs, till the flesh is quite red and 
smarts. The flogging must never be so hard, or long 
continued, as to make any bruises, nor leave any sore- 
ness, but merely sufficient to make it red and feel hot, 
with slight smarting. Usually about a quarter of an 
hour is sufficient, every day. — After the flagellation 
the parts should be well bathed in hot water, and the 
patient should recline. 

This treatment may seem singular to those who 
never heard of it before, but it is undoubtedly more 
efficacious, in numerous cases, than any one could well 
believe who had not seen it practised. I have known 
many patients resort to it with the happiest results, 
who could not stay with me long enough for the usual 
treatment. — In some it will produce powerful erections 
the first time, and lead to an influx of blood that soon 
stimulates their growth. 

Firing is another practice that may be resorted to, 
if all others fail, for rousing the dormant energies of 
these parts in cases of deficient growth. It consists in 
burning the parts with a smooth iron button made 
hot by plunging it in boiling water. The parts are 
first made smooth and then the button is taken out of 
the water and pressed suddenly on, repeating it as fast 
as possible, till the whole length of the organ has been 
operated upon. No part should be touched twice, nor 
should the iron remain on more than an instant. The 
pain is very slight, and no blister is raised, the places 
only turning white at first, and afterwards remaining 
red. — The firings should be repeated only at intervals 



158 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

of three or four days, waiting till the effects of one 
arc gone off before another is practised. 

This process is sometimes astonishingly effective, a 
single application producing such a powerful effect 
that no further treatment is required. — Care is re- 
quired, however, not to produce too much inflamma- 
tion, nor to operate too near the Testes. 

Sometimes the development will be much less on 
one side of the Penis than the other, or less in the 
Corpus Spongiosum than the Cavernosum, so that 
the organ will not be straight but curved ; or it may 
be straight in the ordinary state but not capable of 
erecting in all parts alike. This state of permanent 
chordee is perhaps better treated by the flagellation or 
firing than by any other means, because they can be 
applied locally, and only to the affected part. 

PARALYSIS OF THE MUSCLES OF THE PENIS. 

I first observed this affection in the person of a pa- 
tient, aged about fifty-three. Since then I have met 
with other cases in persons of different ages, though 
always past thirty. In the first case it was apparently 
the forerunner of general Paralysis, an attack of which 
was experienced some two months later, but partially 
recovered from. In other cases I have also regarded 
it as a sign that general Paralysis or Apoplexy was 
threatened, though it did not always immediately fol- 
low. 

In this disease the secretion of the semen is not af- 
fected, nor is the flow of blood interfered with, the 
organ becoming as full and as firm as before, but there 
is no power to raise and direct it. The first case 
yielded in the course of a week to Galvanism, and 
some others were alleviated by warm baths and stimu- 
lant lotions, but others again remained notwithstanding 
all that could be done. These were mostly old people, 
with an obvious predisposition to Paralysis. In some 
cases I have had reason to think that the attack was 
brought on by previous sexual excesses. 



DISEASES OF THIS PENIS. 159 



PRIAPISM, OR INVOLUNTARY ERECTION. 

By this term is meant an unnatural and involuntary 
erection of the Penis. In some persons it occurs only 
at intervals, but in others it is constant for a long time 
and constitutes a real state of disease. Priapism is not , 
always accompanied by pleasurable feelings, though it 
usually is, but on the contrary, it is sometimes painful. 
In some persons it comes on suddenly, without any 
premonitory symptoms whatever ; but in others it com- 
mences gradually, and is frequently indicated by a 
sense of fulness in the Testes, or of pain and heaviness 
in the head. The patient is utterly unable to control 
the erection in the slightest degree, nor in general can 
he by any means prevent it while the morbid state 
continues. I have known men who always suffered 
from this . immediately they went to bed, so that their 
rest was much disturbed. In one young man especi- 
ally the health suffered seriously. Every night when 
he had been in bed about an hour the Priapism would 
commence, and such was the effect on his nervous sys- 
tem that sleep was out of the question while it con- 
tinued. Very often for several nights together he did 
not sleep more than a single hour, and yet there was 
in general but little sexual feeling, and that only at 
first, the sensation afterward being merely one of ex- 
treme nervous irritation. The next day he suffered 
from headache, pain and weakness in the back, and 
soreness in the organ itself. In no instance did he 
have emissions during these attacks, and this is a pe- 
culiarity I have frequently observed. 

The causes of this troublesome affection may be 
various, and sometimes can only be surmised. In 
many cases, especially among young persons in vigor- 
ous health, and of perfect development, it results from 
an actual excess of semen, which first causes Sper- 
matocele, and then leads to a chronic inflammatory 
condition, by which the erection is constantly excited. 
This condition mav exist in those who are not at all 



160 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

disposed to lascivious thoughts, and even in those who 
are constantly striving against them, though it is of 
course made much worse by indulging such thoughts. 
Most commonly in these persons the Priapism con- 
tinues till an involuntary emission takes place, and 
then it disappears for a short time, till the semen has 
again accumulated in too great quantity. There are 
some, however, in whom these emissions never occur, 
and in them the Priapism is frequently a constant state 
and becomes eventually a real disease. In the early 
stages of such cases, marriage is of course the only 
certain and effectual remedy, though much mitigation 
may be effected by means that will hereafter be pointed 
out ; but when the organs have become diseased or 
chronically inflamed, marriage would be highly im- 
proper till a healthy condition is restored. 

It is not always the case, however, that Priapism 
results from seminal accumulation, or superabundant 
energy, for it is sometimes experienced by those that 
are rather deficient, or at least below the average. I 
have even observed it in those that were nearly sterile. 
In these cases it is induced by a diseased condition of 
the brain, and is usually considered a mere moral af- 
fection, though like many other moral affections, it is 
simply an indication and consequence of physical dis- 
ease. In this state there is constant desire at first, 
sometimes amounting to furious erotomania, but event- 
ually all feeling and desire will vanish, while the Pri- 
apism will remain, and sometimes even continue till 
death. Long-continued debauchery is also sometimes 
followed by obstinate Priapism, and eventually by ab- 
solute impotency. In the Medical Repository for 
April, 1824, is a case of this kind, communicated by 
Mr. Callaway. The patient, during a fit of intoxica- 
tion, associated with a female three times in succession, 
having emission each time, but no subsidence of the 
erection - a circumstance which I have often known to 
occur during intoxication. To his great surprise, the 
erection still continued the next morning, and it re- 
mained for sixteen days, in spite of all the means used 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS, 161 

to reduce it. The surgeon then made an incision with 
the lancet, just below the Scrotum, and immediately 
there escaped a large quantity of thick black blood, 
mixed with clots. On pressing the Penis the blood all 
flowed out of it, by the opening, and it immediately 
became flaccid. The man was impotent, however, 
afterwards, for no erection ever took place again, owing 
probably to the cells of the Corpus Cavernosum and 
Corpus Spongiosum having grown up,, from inflamma- 
tion. The continued erection was probably owing, in 
this case, to inflammation at the lower part of the 
Penis, or in the Perineal Muscles, owing to which the 
veins were so pressed upon that the blood could not 
return by them, or perhaps the veins themselves were 
swollen and closed up. Some men have brought on a 
similar condition of the parts by keeping themselves 
too long excited, without allowing emission to take 
place, a practice which is very reprehensible, and which 
not unfrequently causes Spermatocele, or even Or- 
chitis, as before stated. 

If the erection be too powerful, or too long contin- 
ued, it will often cause temporary impotence by so 
compressing the Urethra that the semen cannot trav- 
erse along it. When this occurs the semen either es- 
capes afterwards, slowly, or else mixes with the Urine. 

Long continued priapism is always hurtful, and is 
very likely to destroy the power of erection altogether, 
ultimately; it is, therefore, desirable that we should 
know its various causes, and the best means of treating 
it. Persons who are not properly informed respecting 
its nature are apt to consider it as simply a result of 
loose thoughts, and that only a proper effort is required 
to overcome it. This is a great mistake, as we have 
already shown, and one which leads both to the neg- 
lect of proper treatment and also to uncharitable judg- 
ments. 

In addition to the general causes of this affection, 
already enumerated, there are also several others that 
have a tendency more or less to originate or aggravate 
it. Want cf proper cleanliness, hot clothing, particu- 



162 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

larly if it chafes, and the too frequent use of warm 
baths may be mentioned, and also several other dis- 
eases, such as gonorrhoea and spermatorrhoea. Gravel, 
and inflammation of the bladder also excite the penis 
very much in some persons, and the piles will do the 
same in others. Stimulating and highly-seasoned food, 
and hot or vinous drinks have the same tendency, and 
sleeping in a very warm soft bed is apt to assist. The use 
of bougies and injections will often produce priapism, 
and certain medicines still more frequently, Canthar- 
ides ? Phosphorus, and Opium perhaps act the most 
energetically in this way, but there are others whose 
effects are very decided, and they all act very differently 
at times and upon different persons. The reading of 
lascivious books, or listening to loose conversation, un- 
doubtedly operates in a similar manner, and the indul- 
gence of lying in bed in the morning, half awake, has 
the same tendency. 

The treatment of priapism must of course be regu- 
lated by the cause that produces or aggravates it. 
When it is mainly produced by a want of properly 
regulating the mind, or controlling the desires, the cure 
must depend entirely upon the individual's own self, or 
rather upon his strength of mind. When it arises 
from a too stimulating diet and drink, aided by a defi- 
ciency of muscular exercise, which is very often the 
case in young persons, nothing more is required than 
to live low, drink cold water, keep the bowels free, and 
bathe the parts frequently with cold water. If there b j 
a too great secretion of semen, with no sufficient invol- 
untary discharge, marriage is indicated. If there be 
any other disease that must first be cured, and if there 
be heat and pain in the head, particularly in the back 
part, it must be frequently bathed in cold water, and 
kept cool, precisely the same as for inflammation of 
the brain, of which, in fact, the priapism is often a 
symptom. During the paroxysm the parts may be 
bathed with warm water or a warm Enema may be 
given. ' Sitting in a warm bath is sometimes the best 
plan, or over hot steam. In obtinate cases Leeches 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 163 

may be applied to the Penis, or a vein may be opened 
in it, but one of the best remedies is to give sufficient 
Tartar Emetic to cause vomiting ; this generally re- 
lieves the priapism. Two ordinary sized pills of Gum 
Camphor have been found efficacious in some persons, 
and simple fasting, till faintness ensued, in others. 
When the paroxysm is over, strict attention must be 
paid to the diet, clothing, and general conduct, as be- 
fore indicated, to prevent a recurrence. 

I have had some patients with whom I have had to use 
various mechanical contrivances, to prevent the pria- 
pism occurring at night, or while the curative means 
were being employed. A simple bandage, drawn 
tightly round the organ when flaccid, will often prevent 
the erection, but a better plan is to use two grooved 
pieces of wood, one of which must be placed above the 
penis and the other below, so that they can be drawn 
together by a band, or screw. The organ can be com- 
pressed so tightly by this machine, while in its ordinary 
state, that erection cannot possibly take place. Several 
of my patients were unable to sleep till provided with 
an instrument of this kind. 

The longest period I ever knew an attack of priapism 
to last was six weeks, and that was in a married man. 
It first began during a short absence from home, and 
was kept up by the impossibility which he experienced, 
on his return, of discharging the semen, owing to the 
swollen and inflamed state of the parts. He suffered 
from spermatocele, and slightly from orchitis, and was 
further troubled by violent desire, which he was unable 
to gratify. Connexion was possible, but without emis- 
sion, and consequently without gratification. I was 
much afraid, from the violence of the attack, and from 
the symptoms, that permanent impotence would follow, 
but by careful treatment, perseveringly attended to, he 
completely recovered. 

I knew one instance in which priapism followed a 
blow on the back of the head, from which the person 
died, and it remained after his death, the parts being so 
firmly conjested, and so rigid, that nothing had any 



1G4 DISEASES OF THE PEXIS. 

effect upon them. In several instances I have known 
priapism follow the application of blisters to the neck 
and back, even in young children, a fact that should 
not be lost sight of, either by physicians or parents. 

DISEASES OF THE URETHRA AND THE PARTS CON- 
TAINED THEREIN. 

The Urethra, as before explained, is a long canal 
passing from the bladder down the penis, for the pur- 
pose of conveying the urine out of the body, and also 
for conducting the semen, it being the common passage 
for both fluids. 

The membranous walls of the Urethra are rather 
thick, and are elastic, and the interior is lined with a 
mucous coat, similar to that inside the bladder. The 
size of the urethra is different in different parts ; thus a 
little way in from the external opening, or meatus urin- 
ariuSy it expands considerably, and then contracting 
again expands still larger at about two- thirds of its 
length down. The substance of which the walls of the 
urethra are composed, appears not to be the same in 
its whole length, being membranous in some parts 
and in others spongy, almost like the Corpus Spon- 
giosum. It therefore participates in the act of erection, 
and its concurrence is very essential to the proper emis- 
sion of the semen. Where it first opens at the neck of 
the bladder it is wide, but drawn together by certain 
muscles, excepting when the urine is evacuated, when 
the muscles relax and allow it to open. It is not by 
the drawing together of the walls of the urethra alone, 
however, that the urine is prevented from escaping, 
but partly by the presence of the Vent Montanum. By 
referring to the plate of the situation of the male organs 
the position of this part will be readily understood. It 
is a small fleshy protuberance placed on the lower wall 
of the urethra just where it opens from the bladder. 
In shape it is like a cone, with the small end pointing 
towards the end of the Penis. The neck of the bladder 
closes around this little protuberance while the urine 



DISEASES OF THE P1CNIS. 165 

is retained, but during evacuation it relaxes and opens 
a little and the fluid then passes on each side of the 
Montanum, which thus acts a similar part to the 
stopper of a bottle. Many cases of incontinence of 
urine arise from irritation of the Veru Montanum, 
which becomes so tender that the neck of the bladder 
is kept constantly open to prevent pressure upon it. 
This irritation may arise from various causes, but 
most usually we can only guess what they are. The 
mode of subduing it is simply to use general means 
for subduing inflammation, such as are suitable for all 
the neighboring parts. An irritating quality of the 
urine is very apt to give rise to it, particularly when 
very acid, and then it is readily corrected by taking a 
little Carbonate of Soda every morning before breakfast, 
and drinking freely of gum arabic water. I had one 
patient who suffered terribly from this cause, without 
knowing, till explained to him, what it was. Imme- 
diately the smallest portion of urine was secreted in the 
bladder it felt as if a piece of red hot iron was placed 
in the neck, and all command over it was instantly 
lost, the urine escaping in spite of all his efforts. 
The smarting, burning, and pricking sensation he 
described as most horribly torturing, without there 
being any apparent possibility of relief. He had been 
told by some practitioner tnat it was stone in the 
bladder, but I felt assured, after careful examination, 
that it was inflammation of the Veru Montanum, and 
advised him accordingly. I prescribed hot fomenta- 
tions of Poppy Heads, on the pubes and perineum, 
with Leeches also on the Perineum, and inside the 
Thighs. Internally I directed him to take the follow- 
ing powders with a dose of Castor Oil every evening, 
and to drink plentifully during the day of Barley 
Water, or Linseed Tea. 

rj. Dried leaves of Uva Ursi, or Bearberry, one and 
a half drachms ; Bicarbonate of Soda, one drachm. 

To be mixed together well, and divided into twelve 
powders, one of which to be taken three times a day, 
in the Barley-water, or Linseed tea. 



166 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

The effect of this treatment was evident on the sec- 
ond day, the inflammation having subsided consider- 
ably, and by the third day he was quite well, with the 
exception of a little soreness when urinating. 

Inflammation of the Veru Montanum is also very apt 
to be produced by retaining the Urine too long, when 
the bladder is very full, and particularly by trying to 
prevent the escape of semen, during coition, which is 
sometimes done by pressing the Penis at its lower part. 
The effects of this practice, which is often resorted to 
for the purpose of preventing conception, are most seri- 
ous ; in addition to the inflammation already referred 
to, it also leads to involuntary seminal losses, as will 
be explained further on. Such destructive practices 
would never be attempted if men were not so thor- 
oughly ignorant of everything relating to their physical 
systems, and while that ignorance remains it will al- 
ways cause more disease than medical science will be 
able to cure. 

The Veru Montanum is also very apt to become 
diseased whenever the Prostate Gland is affected, the 
two parts sympathizing so intimately together. 

The semen enters the Urethra just at the lower end 
of the Veru Montanum, by two small openings which 
are very liable to be more or less closed when this 
organ, or the Prostate is' inflamed, and thus the flow 
of semen is partially and sometimes totally prevented. 

Sometimes the Montanum will swell till it complete- 
ly fills up the neck of the bladder, so that neither urine 
nor semen can possibly escape till it has been reduced. 
It is also liable to be the seat of Cancer or Scrofula, 
like the Prostate. 

The Urethra is liable to congenital Malformations as 
well as to subsequent accidents, and some of these may 
be of a serious character. In some young persons it is 
permanently contracted, so that the escape of the urine 
is attended with great difficulty and pain. This fault, 
however, usually amends with the growth, and with 
constant use. Children so circumstanced are a very 
long time in discharging their urine, which flows in a 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 167 

small stream, and with more or less distress. In very 
severe cases bougies may be used to dilate the passage, 
but it is better, if the trouble is not too great, to wait 
till towards puberty, and see if nature herself will not 
effect an improvement. Still more rarely there are 
found Congenital Strictures, or they come spontaneous- 
ly, without any apparent cause. If these are not very 
bad it is perhaps better to wait till fourteen or fifteen 
years of age before operating, as the changes in the 
system at that time are very great, and an improve- 
ment may occur naturally. If they are too severe, 
however, or endure beyond that time, it will be neces- 
sary to use the bougie, which is in reality the only ef- 
fective remedy in such cases. Many youths cause 
stricture by compressing the Penis in Masturbation, 
and bruising the Urethra. I have known many do this 
to prevent the semen from escaping at the moment of 
ejaculation, from the notion that if this was done the 
practice would not injure them. It is, of course, un- 
necessary to show the fallacy of such a notion, but it 
may be advisable to explain what becomes of the sem- 
inal fluid in such cases, because very often not a par- 
ticle is seen. At the moment of ejaculation the semen 
escapes by jets into the Urethra, from the ejaculatory 
canal, through certain small openings, called ejacu- 
latory ducts — which are shown in the plates — and then 
flows down the canal and escapes from the body. If, 
however, the Urethra is compresssd, so as to prevent it 
from escaping externally, it must flow in some other 
direction, and the only other way is into the bladder, 
which it enters by forcing open the neck and passing 
on each side of the Vera Montanum. It is then ex- 
pended as much as if it had left the body in the natural 
manner, as it comes away with the next flow of urine. 
In the mean time its presence irritates the bladder, and 
its passage in this reverse way is very apt to cause in- 
flammation in the Veru Montanum and Prostate Gland, 
and even to produce stricture, as before explained, with 
a weakness of the ducts disposing to involuntary sem- 
inal losses. 



168 DI8EA8ES OF THE PENIS. 

The Urethra is also unusually irritable in some per- 
sons, without any particular disease, and burns and 
smarts when they urinate as if there were Gonorrhoea. 
Some men, and even some children, have more or less 
of this trouble, either constantly or at times, and suffer 
from it considerably. It will generally be observed in 
such persons that the urine is high colored, and de- 
posits a reddish or yellowish sediment on being allowed 
to stand, indicating either gravel or chronic inflamma- 
tion of the bladder. The best treatment is that given 
for inflammation of the Veru Montanum, further back, 
and the best preventive is to pay strict attention to the 
diet and drink. Nothing should be eaten or drunk 
that is heating or stimulating, or that is likely to pro- 
duce constipation, which always aggravates these 
troubles. Spirituous and fermented liquors are very 
bad, and coffee is usually injurious. The best drinks are 
Soda-water, Barley-tea, Gum Arabic water, and Muci- 
lage of Sassafras pith, or Bene Plant. A little Carbon- 
ate of Soda taken every morning is a perfect preventive 
in some, and a little Magnesia in others. All excesses 
must be carefully avoided, and the bowels kept con- 
stantly free. A frequent warm bath is nearly always 
beneficial. 

Many of the diseases of the Prostate Gland, and many 
of the operations upon the Penis, are frequent causes 
of stricture and inflammation of the Urethra, and they 
therefore require, on that account, the utmost care and 
attention. It is not unfrequently the case, in unskilful 
hands, that after a perfect cure of one of these diseases, 
a stricture is left that is a worse evil than the original 
one. 

THE PROSTATE GLAND. 

The uses of this Organ, like those of the vesicles, 
have not yet been satisfactorily determined. It was 
formerly thought to be a simple Gland, intended to se- 
crete a peculiar Liquor which was necessary to mix with 
the semen. This view, however, has been lately some- 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 169 

what modified, and it is now considered to be rather 
a collection of several glands or follicles, forming 
one mass or organ together. These little follicles 
secrete a peculiar whitish fluid, which is conveyed by a 
number of small ducts into the Urethra, close by the 
Veru Montanum, where the semen enters. It is prob- 
able that this fluid is, in some way or other, essential 
to the perfection of the semen as it leaves the body. 

The Prostate Gland is liable to several forms of 
disease, some of which are both painful and dangerous, 
and all of which, unfortunately, are too often but little 
capable of treatment. It seems specially liable to en- 
gorgement, or swelling, and to scrofulous and cancer- 
ous indurations. Sometimes also it becomes cartilagi- 
nous, or even almost bony, and at other times calculi 
or stones form in it, similar to those found in the blad- 
der. — Inflammation and abscess of the Prostate Gland 
is very apt to follow improper treatment for Gonor- 
rhoea, particularly where bougies or injections havebeen 
used, and it is also a frequent consequence of cauteriza - 
tion for curing involuntary seminal losses. Blows on 
the perineum may also give rise to it, or too severe and 
long-continued pressure from horse-riding, or using a 
hard seat, or even from very tight small clothes. This 
trouble is both an annoying and a serious one, and fre- 
quently excessively painful. When the Prostate is 
simply swollen it merely causes a sense of fulness and 
uneasiness in the Perineum, with difficulty in urinating 
or discharging the semen, and in passing the bowels. 
The reason for these impediments will be evident when 
the situation and connections of the Organ are borne 
in mind. The smallest increase in the size of the 
Prostate makes it press on the Urethra and partly 
closes it, so that the flow of urine is necessarily ob- 
structed, and the orifices of the Seminal Tubes being 
also compressed, the flow of semen through them is 
similarly intercepted. In very severe cases a total 
stoppage of both urine and semen occurs, which, if 
not relieved, may lead to inflammation of the Bladder 
and Testes of the most acute and dangerous character. 



170 DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 

When this stage has been reached the pain and suffering 
become most intense, and if the inflammation and swell- 
ing is not speedily reduced an Abscess forms, which 
eventually breaks and discharges its contents, when 
some little relief is obtained, though the disease has 
then assumed a much more annoying form, and is 
more difficult to treat. If the abscess breaks internally 
there is a continual flow of pus or matter from the 
Urethra, attended by severe smarting and pain when 
the urine or semen is passed, and by a constant irrita- 
tion in all the neighboring parts, which acts on the 
nervous system in the most distressing manner. Oc- 
casionally the abscess breaks externally in the Peri- 
neum, which is, if possible, still more troublesome. 
The pus keeps flowing in the same manner, only not 
from the Urethra, and the same constitutional irrita- 
tion is experienced, but the pain in urinating is not al- 
ways so great. 

The treatment of this trouble must depend upon 
the stage at which it has arrived, and the causes that 
produced it. While there is simply slight swelling 
and inflammation from bruises or blows every means 
must be taken to remove it as speedily as possible. 
The patient must keep perfectly still, lying on his back 
most of the time, while fomentations of hot water, 
with laudanum, are freely applied to the Perineum, or 
flannels dipped in the hot fluid may be placed between 
the limbs and pressed up against the Perineum, chang- 
ing them frequently, and using them as hot as they can 
be borne. The bowels must be freely moved with 
Castor Oil and the diet must be light and unstimulating. 
A very good practice is for the patient to sit in hot 
water for half an hour at a time, or over the steam of 
it. These means persevered in, when the uneasiness 
and difficulty is first felt, will often subdue the inflam- 
mation and prevent any further evil consequences. A 
general warm bath, during which hot Teas are taken 
to promote perspiration and the flow of urine, are 
also of great service, and when the bruise is very 
bad, as shown by blackness of the skin, Leeches 



DISEASES OF THE PENIS. 17 L 

must be applied, either on the Perineum or inside of 
the thighs. 

If the inflammation be of a chronic form, not pro- 
duced by any external violence, the best application is 
the Mercurial Ointment rubbed on the Perineum till 
it produces a decided effect on the system. Along 
with this may also be taken the solution of Iodide of 
Potassium, prescribed in Hydrocele, the bowels being 
kept regularly open with Salts or Castor Oil. Cold 
Lotions must be frequently applied of Alum or Sugar 
of Lead, and no spices or alcoholic liquors must be 
taken on any account. Sexual excesses are particu- 
larly hurtful in this complaint. 

Very many incipient attacks of inflammation of the 
Prostate might be cured in this way, and the swelling 
dispersed, if proper attention were paid to the diet and 
strict temperance practised in all things. 

Most frequently, however, this trouble continues, 
and either forms an abscess or an indolent Tumor, 
which every now and then enlarges so much that the 
flow of semen and urine is entirely stopped, causing 
intense suffering, and a palliative operation has to be 
performed to give relief. Many patients suffer from 
regular periodical attacks of this kind, and in others 
they come on always after any little extra bodily exer- 
tion or mental anxiety. In these cases the use of pur- 
gatives internally, with cold lotions and Belladonna or 
Hellebore Plasters externally, will frequently mitigate 
the severity of the pain and cut short the attack. A 
grain of Opium may also be taken, when the suffering 
is most intense, or thirty drops of Laudanum, in some 
Gum Arabic-water. The Ointment of Belladonna and 
Camphor, prescribed in inflammation of the Testicle, 
will also frequently be found of great benefit, and 
many experience decided relief from leeches to the 
Perineum and thighs. The nature of the operation to 
be performed, in any extreme case, depends upon the 
peculiar circumstances attending it, and must be left 
to the judgment of the physician. The internal appli- 
cation of caustic is practised by some, and others use 



172 DISEASKS OF THK PEXIS. 

the lancet freely, but there is both risk and difficulty 
in both. At the very commencement of the trouble it 
is sometimes possible to introduce a catheter, and this 
may serve to keep the Urethra open while the other 
means are employed to reduce the inflammation. The 
catheter, however, is not admissible when much force 
is needed to introduce it, nor when it increases the in- 
flammation. One of the most reliable proofs of swell- 
ing of the Prostate Gland, when the Tumor cannot be 
felt externally or in the rectum, is the impossibility of 
passing a catheter, owing to the enlarged Prostate 
having blocked up the Urethra. 

Inflammation of the Prostate Gland may terminate in 
induration or permanent hardness, and also in morti- 
fication, as well as in abscess, or dispersion. When 
mortification ensues it is of course exceedingly dan- 
gerous, if not necessarily fatal, and we have no known 
remedy to cure it. The induration will sometimes ex- 
hibit a decided Scrofulous tendency, and pursue the 
same course as Scrofulous Testicle, and at other times 
it will become perfectly cartilaginous or bony. 

When calculi or stones form in the Prostate it is 
sometimes possible to cut them out, when their pres- 
ence is so evident that there can be no mistake, but 
this is very seldom the case. Like most other diseases 
of the Prostate the indications of this are so obscure 
that its precise seat and nature in most cases can only 
be obscurely guessed at. 

Sometimes the stones will be discharged by way of 
the Urethra, and relief immediately follow. Warm 
bathing and fomentations probably tend to facilitate 
this mode of escape, by relaxing the parts. I have 
known persons who had long suffered from all the 
usual symptoms of enlarged Prostate be perfectly reliev- 
ed after voiding a few calculi seldom larger than a pea. 

Among other means of obtaining relief occasionally 
successful in Prostatic enlargement, I may mention 
injections in the Rectum of cold thin starch and lauda- 
num, frequently repeated. Galvanism I have also 
tried, and in some cases with marked success. 



DISEA8ES OF THE PENIS. 173 

Chronic enlargement of the Prostate Gland is rather 
common amongst old men, particularly those who have 
led a sedentary life, or who have been addicted to sex- 
ual excesses. 

Note. — All derangements of the parts above mentioned which arise 
from Venereal Disease, are fully treated upon in my book the Popular 
Treatise on Venereal Diseases. 



CHAPTER VI. 

FUNCTIONAL AND SYMPATHETIC DISEASES OF TH; 
GENITAL ORGANS. 

This is a part of our subject of the very first import- 
ance, and yet beset with such numerous and peculiar 
difficulties that precise knowledge about it is extremely 
difficult to obtain. In regard to many things of the 
greatest moment connected with man's virile powers, 
but little or nothing is known. Dr. Curling remarks, 
when speaking of the Testes, " Their functions are so 
involved in those of other parts, are influenced by such 
peculiar causes, and are so dependent on and modified 
by particular events and circumstances, that the inves- 
tigation of them, when disordered, necessarily becomes 
of a complex and difficult character. The product too, 
of these glands, is one, the qualities of which it is al- 
most impossible to appreciate, and which during life is 
never afforded in a pure and unmixed state ; and fur- 
ther, taking into account the repugnance felt to such 
enquiries, it is scarcely surprising that the subject has 
been but imperfectly investigated and rarely treated 
of by the pathologist and practitioner. Indeed the little 
information we possess respecting it is chiefly to be 
found under the head Impotency, in works on medical 
jurisprudence, in which it is cursorily considered, 
principally in relation to points of medico-legal interest, 
and scarcely at all in reference to practice." 

This is strictly true, and it will, I dare say, cause 
surprise to many persons to learn that there are phy- 
sicians who know little or nothing about such matters. 
Such, however, is the case, as is well known to those 
who have occasion to apply to them, either for advice 

174 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 



175 



or information. I have found it absolutely necessary 
to set out in my investigations, on many important 
points, as if nothing were known, and hunt out the 
requisite information by the tedious but sure process 
of actual experiment and extended observation. Very 
many of the statements made in this work will proba- 
bly surprise those who see them for the first time, 
owing to their novelty, and to their variance with old 
notions. None of these statements have been made, 
however, without good and sufficient evidence having 
been obtained of their correctness, while the old no- 
tions with which they conflict are often merely suppo- 
sitions and assumptions, utterly destitute of any found- 
ation whatever. This is especially the case in regard 
to the functional and sympathetic causes of Impotence, 
and also its medical and moral treatment, which may 
be truly said to be, nearly invariably, empirical. 

In pursuing my own investigations into these import- 
ant and interesting subjects, I have left no means of 
acquiring information untouched. Besides studying 
and experimenting, as far as was proper, in the nu- 
merous cases that came under my notice professionally, 
1 have fully experimented upon a number of animals, 
to the utmost extent that humanity would allow. By 
these means I have ascertained many important facts, 
and studied the action of many powerful medical 
agents which could not with propriety and safety have 
been tried upon human beings first. 

Functional or sympathetic disability of the Repro- 
ductive Organs appears in two forms, Impotence and 
Sterility \ which are frequently, but erroneously, con- 
founded together. Sterility means a total absence of 
the Reproductive principle, and must always be ac- 
companied by impotence or inability to associate with 
the other sex, excej. t temporarily in certain peculiar 
cases ; but a man may be impotent without being 
sterile. Absolute sterility is generally incurable, be- 
cause it arises from destruction or disorganization of 
the Testes, and it is therefore only in the way of pre- 
venting the evil, by removing its causes, that we can 



176 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

do any good, hut impotence can very frequently be 
cured, as well as prevented. Besides impotence is the 
more frequent affection, and is often merely the fore- 
runner or first stage of sterility, and it becomes there- 
fore the most important subject to consider. 

The various kinds of deformity, deficiency, and 
acute disease that cause destruction of the generative 
power have already been fully treated upon, and we 
have now only to explain those mysterious sympathetic 
and functional derangements which, though they are 
often more powerful, are yet so different in their oper- 
ation, and hitherto so little studied, that but little is 
generally known respecting either their nature or mode 
of action. This will be fully apparent in our very 
next article. 

INFLUENCE OF THE BRAIN ON THE GENERATIVE 
POWERS. 

In a former part of this work a number of in- 
stances were narrated in which impotency followed 
injuries of the head, and we will now narrate a few 
others, because this is a most important fact in many 
respects. 

About five years ago I was consulted by a married 
man who had totally lost his sexual powers from 
striking his head against a beam. The blow had 
stunned him for a time, but did not lead to any imme- 
diate serious symptoms. He found, however, in two 
or three days after, that he was perfectly impotent, and 
had so remained for eighteen months when I saw him. 
There was but little loss of desire, with no wasting of 
the Genital Organs, nor any other indication whatever 
of his deprivation. He had previously been a man of 
temperate habits, and at the time of the accident was 
as vigorous as most men. The blow, it may be as 
well to remark, was received on the top of the head, 
and was not followed by any swelling or pain in the 
Cerebellum or neck. When I saw him he was in per- 
fect health, and in good spirits ; in fact, nothing was 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 177 

complained of but this unfortunate impotency, which 
he was very desirous of having removed. 

The great point was to ascertain, if possible, in 
what way the concussion of the brain had suspended 
the transmission of nervous power to the genitals, and 
how it could be restored. I recollected that in several 
cases where injuries to the head had paralyzed particu- 
lar muscles, or limbs, their power had been restored by 
Galvanism, applied so as to pass along the course of 
their Nerves from the spine. It seemed to me as if the 
blow had impaired the proper connexion between the 
spinal marrow and these nerves at their roots, and that 
the passage of the electric current, in some way or 
other, restored that connection. It was similar, in 
fact, to starting the Electric Telegraph again by mend- 
ing the wires, or making the connections perfect after 
they had been destroyed by violence. I therefore ap- 
plied the Galvanism, passing the current from that 
part of the spine where the Spermatic Nerves originate 
to the pubes, perineum, and neighboring parts, apply- 
ing also a stimulating liniment, and occasionally using 
the congester. The result was highly satisfactory and 
speedily obtained. At the third application he experi- 
enced a decided tingling about the perineum and along 
the penis, and the next time a partial erection occurred. 
After persevering for five weeks, using the Galvanism 
daily at first, and then every other day, and finally but 
twice a week, he was fully restored, without any 
apparent tendency to a relapse. In this case it will be 
observed that the injury was not received at the back 
of the head, on what the Phrenologists call the Organ 
of ' Amativeness, but at the top. 

In another similar instance Impotency, with com- 
plete loss of desire also, followed a fracture of the 
skull over the left Temple, and no means that were 
used had the slightest effect in restoring it. In a few 
months the Testes began to waste, and eventually al- 
most totally disappeared, but the general health was 
only slightly affected. 

In the American Journal of tke Medical Sciences 



178 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

for February, 1839, Dr. Fisher relates a curious instance 
of a gentleman injured in a railway car. He was look- 
ing out at the moment when a collision occurred, and 
the shock threw the back of his head against the edge 
of the window with such force as to stun him ; he, 
however, recovered his senses and was taken home, but 
suffered great pain in the back part of the head and 
top of the neck. His right arm was numbed a little, 
and some difficulty was experienced in passing the 
urine, but in two weeks he was able to walk out with 
no other inconvenience than a slight dimness of sight. 
About the fifth week he discovered that he was impo- 
tent, and had lost all sexual desire. The means used 
to restore his genital powers were only partially suc- 
cessful, nor was his memory so perfect as before, but 
all the other difficulties disappeared under proper treat- 
ment. 

In the Lancet for August, 1841, is an account of a 
medical student who received a blow on the face, in a 
quarrel, which knocked him down so that he fell on 
the back of his head. He was totally unconscious for 
eight or ten hours, but gradually recovered, and on 
the following day even resumed his studies, which he 
continued unremittingly for the next six weeks. He, 
however, became exceedingly irritable, with a feeling 
of general uneasiness, and after the first week he ob- 
served the genital organs begin to waste, and desire to 
weaken, till he finally became nearly impotent, but 
afterwards recovered under proper treatment. 

Many instances have been observed of soldiers being 
wounded in the head and suffering afterwards under 
the same disability. It is perhaps proper to remark, 
however, that this is not the only, nor even the most 
frequent result of such injuries, as many patients so 
hurt surfer no deprivation of their genital powers, but 
have some other function impaired. Thus some lose 
their sight, some their hearing, and others become 
paralytic in their limbs. 

The prospect of recovering the sexual powers when 
lost from injuries of this kind is very small, especially 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 179 

if the parts have really begun to waste. The treat- 
ment at first must be that best calculated to subdue the 
irritation which is probably existing in some part of 
the nervous system, and afterwards, if requisite, to 
rouse the spermatic nerves to more energetic action. 
Every case, however, will require something peculiar 
to itself, which can only be discovered by a patient 
and careful attention to all its symptoms and indica- 
tions. 

A further corroboration of the facts above stated may 
also be found in certain physiological indications ob- 
served in those who have died from strangulation. It is 
well known that in very many men Who have been hung, 
erections and even seminal emissions have occurred, 
and experiments upon animals have often led to the 
same result. This is attributed to the pressure of the 
rope on the back of the head, which in some way or 
other excites the spermatic nerves. I have even known 
pressure made on that region purposely, in a particular 
manner, in order to excite erections, and frequently 
with perfect success. Some of the females in the 
Turkish harems understand this, and they habitually 
chafe, or shampoo, the back of the neck of their com- 
panions of the other sex, for this very purpose. I have 
frequently made an application of this important fact 
in my practice, in cases where there was merely a sus- 
pension of that sympathetic influence which the brain 
ordinarily exerts upon the sexual organs. 

Phrenologists affirm that only a particular part of 
the Encephalon is concerned with sexual phenomena — 
namely, the lower part, or Cerebellum, which rests 
upon the spinal marrow. 

But after a careful consideration of all the reasons 
brought forward in support of this affirmation I am not 
yet convinced of its absolute correctness. That many 
facts favor such a theory 1 am willing to admit, but it 
is also certain that many others militate against it, and 
as a searcher after truth I must consider everything 
that bears upon the question, even though opposed to 
my previous opinion. I set out with firmly believing 



180 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

that the Cerebellum only was connected with the sexual 
propensity, and my investigations have made me doubt 
it. It is not true, I am convinced, that the strength 
of a man's sexual propensity can be estimated by the 
development of his Cerebellum, nor is it true in regard 
to animals either. If it were so we ought to find that 
organ largest in those who exhibit the propensity most, 
and in numerous cases it is not so, though in others it 
is. A celebrated German physiologist made some in- 
vestigations bearing on this point of a very interesting 
character ; he had numerous opportunities of dissect- 
ing horses, and curiosity induced him to weigh the 
Cerebellums of these animals, some of whom had been 
castrated when young and others left entire. Now, if 
the Cerebellum be truly the organ of Amativeness, it 
ought, of course, to be largest in the entire horses, 
who have always exhibited that propensity, and we 
should expect to find it almost absent in the others, 
seeing that they could never have felt anything of the 
kind. The result of the experiment was, however, on 
taking the average of an equal number of each, that 
there was scarcely any difference, or if any at all the 
castrated ones had the largest Cerebellums. In ob- 
serving idiots also, some of whom were notoriously 
licentious, and others directly the reverse, I have not 
found that the development of the Cerebellum cor- 
responded to the phrenological system. Neither can 
it be contended that the size of the Cerebellum in the 
castrated animals was only the result of disease, for no 
difference could be detected in it between them and 
the others. All that can be said, therefore, is that 
certain agencies acting on the Cerebellum sometimes 
cause sexual manifestations, and at other times check 
them. The same agencies also acting on other parts 
of the brain will sometimes produce the same results, 
and frequently when the Cerebellum is acted upon 
it is not the Generative Organs that are affected, but 
the sight, hearing, or speech, which might therefore 
just as properly be considered under its exclusive in- 
fluence. 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 181 

It should also be stated, as bearing on this subject, 
that certain influences operating on various parts of 
the body will often affect the Generative Organs in a 
decided manner. I have known a blister on the leg 
cause the most uncontrollable sexual desires in one 
man, and the application of caustic to the throat do the 
same in another. In applying blisters to the top of the 
neck also, though it is followed by erections in some, 
yet in others no such effect takes place, and occasion- 
ally it will produce a nervous twitching in the arms, 
like St. Vitus' Dance. Flogging the back, it is well 
known, will frequently cause erections and emissions, 
even when very severe, as has often been observed in 
soldiers when undergoing that brutal punishment. 
Rousseau also tells us, in his confessions, that flogging 
boys at school, in the disgraceful manner formerly 
practised, is sometimes followed by similar results, and 
he remarks that the pain of the punishment may be 
forgotten under the powerful excitement it leads to, a 
fact of deep moral importance. In short there seems 
every reason to believe that the strength of the sexual 
propensity is dependent upon some peculiarity of the 
sexual organs themselves, though it may be often 
modified by various mysterious sympathies emanating 
from other parts. If the semen be never formed, 
there will never be any sexual desire, and if that fluid 
be abundant the propensity to discharge it will be pro- 
portionally great, independent of all other influences. 
In those who feel desire without having any semen, as 
is sometimes the case in impotency, or even after cas- 
tration, it is only the remeinbrance of a lost pleasure. 

In treating disabilities of the Generative Organs, 
however, the possible influence of injuries to the head, 
even at former periods, and long ago, should always be 
borne in mind. 

INFLUENCE OF THE MIND OVER THE GENERATIVE 
ORGANS. 

It is a fact not generally known that the mind can 



182 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

exert an influence over the Generative Organs of a 
most decided character. Not only can desire be en- 
gendered or annihilated by mental impressions, in 
despite of all other conditions, but the actual growth, 
or development of the organs themselves, can be re- 
tarded or accelerated by the same means. I have 
known men who never felt sexual desire, and whose 
organs were very imperfectly developed, until a late 
period of life, and then quite suddenly the long sup- 
pressed feelings were experienced, and the parts began 
to grow, simply from the stimulus of seeing some per- 
son of the opposite sex who was adapted to make the 
proper impression upon their minds. Such instances 
are, indeed, by no means rare, as every person of expe- 
rience must know, and they prove that, in many cases 
at least, a certain impression' must be made upon the 
mind before the mere animal feeling can be experi- 
enced, or the physical development take place ; or, in 
other words, they prove that with some persons there 
are only certain individuals of the opposite sex who 
can call forth those feelings in them, and that if they 
never meet with these individuals it is probable that 
.such feelings will never be experienced, or at least only 
to a slight extent. 

A knowledge of this fact will often explain to us many 
of those distressing cases of indifference and dislike to 
be met with between parties, and will also be a valua- 
ble guide in giving advice, particularly in those in- 
stances where there is only apparent impotence without 
any real deficiency. 

There seems to be good reason to suppose that the 
sexual instinct is materially dependent upon a particular 
part of the brain, though we cannot tell what part it is, 
nor whether it is a mere development of it that is 
needed, or some peculiarity of structure or organization. 
It is not at all uncommon to find men perfectly organ- 
ized, in every respect, with vigorous minds, and with 
every other faculty in full play, but yet almost wholly 
destitute of desire for sexual enjoyment. In some of 
these cases it is true the Generative Organs are small. 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 183 

or evidently inactive, but in others they are of full 
average development, healthy, and active. In such 
cases we can only account for the singular indifference 
exhibited by supposing that the part of the Brain which 
regulates the reproductive instinct has not had suffi- 
cient power, or else that the proper object has not yet 
been presented to the senses, as before explained. 

Besides this particular influence the Generative 
Organs can also be much affected by the general 
action of the Brain and nervous system, the same as 
all the other organs. Thus if a man exhaust most 
of his nervous energy in thinking, or in muscular 
energy, the other functions, including the genera- 
tive, must be proportionally weakened. I have met 
with many instances of this among men of business, 
many of whom would become quite impotent when 
more than usually absorbed in their pursuits, and 
regain their powers in a short time after their care and 
anxiety were lessened. The following case of this kind 
I select from my note-book as being more than usually 
instructive. The patient, a young man of twenty-eight, 
had been married three years, and had one child ; he 
was very fond of his wife, and she in return recipro- 
cated his affection. He had never been addicted to 
excesses or abuses of any kind, and until about six 
months before I saw him was in the full enjoyment of 
his generative powers. About that time, however, he 
experienced a sudden and severe loss in his business, 
which had previously been very prosperous, and the 
care, anxiety, and incessant exertion he underwent, in 
endeavoring to extricate himself from his embarrass- 
ments, brought on various physical and mental troubles 
that he had never before experienced.* Among the 
rest he found himself perfectly impotent, having com- 
pletely lost both power and desire. This distressed him 
very much, both for the loss itself and also from ap- 
prehension that it was the beginning of general decay. 
In this dilemma he came to consult me, and was ex- 
ceedingly anxious to know my opinion as to the pros- 
pect of his ultimate recovery. After a careful exami- 



184 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

nation I felt convinced that there was no actual loss of 
power, but merely a temporary absence of the requisite 
nervous stimulus, owing to the excessive mental labor 
and anxiety he had undergone; I therefore inquired as 
to his future prospects, and was gratified to learn that 
he was now quite relieved of his difficulties and was 
beginning to regain his usual health and spirits. On 
learning this I unhesitatingly assured him that in a 
short time his generative powers would return, and 
more especially if he could abandon all care and 
thought about them. I gave him a slight stimulant, 
and some general directions as to diet, external treat- 
ment and exercise, and arranged to see him twice a 
week. In one month afterwards he was as well as ever, 
though he had been for nearly seven months as impo- 
tent as if the organs had been totally destroyed. — I 
have also frequently had business-men remark to me 
that they were liable to experience more or less depriva- 
tion of sexual power, and to feel much less desire, at 
those periods of the year when their trade was most 
active, and their minds in consequence more absorbed. 
An author also told me that when writing any very 
particular part of a book, or when anxiously expecting 
the criticisms of the press after its issue, he was al vays 
for a time perfectly impotent. In the lives of several 
severe students we have further corroboration of this 
fact, many of them having been remarkable for their 
coldness and incapacity, particularly those engaged in 
absorbing abstract studies, like the Mathematics. Sir 
Isaac Newton is said to have never known sexual ardor, 
though in every respect a perfectly-formed man, and 
it is probable that this was in a great measure, if not 
entirely, owing to his incessant and all-absorbing 
studies. In short, there is no question but that intense 
mental occupation lessens sexual ardor in most persons, 
and that it may sometimes even extinguish it alto- 
gether. This is a fact of considerable importance, 
both medical and moral, and one that should be more 
fully considered than it has hitherto been. There is 
no doubt but that a great part of the licentiousness 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 185 

which exists, particularly in youth, is in a great meas- 
ure brought about, or at least made much worse, by 
mental and bodily idleness. If the mind is not occu- 
pied by some proper and congenial study, that will 
pleasingly engage it at every leisure moment, a habit 
will soon be formed of indulging lascivious thoughts 
during such vacant periods, and if at the same time a 
due proportion of the vital energy is not absorbed in 
physical exertion, the sexual organs will soon become 
so constantly and intensely excited that such thoughts 
will become paramount above all others. I once pointed 
out the philosophy of this to a gentleman who came 
to consult me both for himself and for his son, aged 
seventeen. The father was nearly impotent from in- 
tense occupation in business, and the son was nearly 
dead from constant licentiousness and intemperance. 
I found on inquiry that the young man had been 
brought up as a gentleman, and was not even ex- 
pected to employ himself with anything useful, in 
consequence of which, from mere idleness, he re- 
sorted to licentiousness, and drinking, as a regular 
occupation, till he was scarcely capable of anything 
else. Moral suasion was utterly useless to effect a 
change, and habit was too strong for the fear of con- 
sequences to break through, so that it seemed as if 
nothing could be done but abandon him to his fate. 
His father bitterly deplored the condition of his son, 
and earnestly entreated me to give him any informa- 
tion I thought likely to be of service in preventing 
similar misfortunes to his younger brother. 

On explaining to him how the sexual power and 
propensity is influenced by a proper exercise of the 
rest of the system, the philosophy of his own and his 
son's condition was immediately apparent. "Yes," 
exclaimed he, " I have exhausted myself by over- 
exertion, and at the same time, I have left my son a 
prey to his licentious desires merely from idleness. I 
now see plainly enough that had part of my burden 
been laid on his shoulders it might have saved both, 
but from mistaken kindness, and false pride, I con- 



186 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

demned hi}n to a life of inactivity, and consequent 
depravity, and myself to a drudgery that has left me 
a mere ruin of what I was." Now this is a case in-» 
structive to all, and there are many others in society 
precisely similar. 

Certain feelings are also very influential over the 
generative functions, but only temporarily, or with 
particular persons. Thus some men have found them- 
selves suddenly impotent with certain females, merely 
from disgust at something that was unexpectedly dis- 
pleasing in them, and others have experienced the 
same difficulty from the fear of discovery or infection. 
Some men will experience a total loss of power on 
finding their companions too cold, or too ardent, or 
meeting with some unusual difficulty, but perhaps the 
most frequent cause is Timidity, or self-distrust. I 
have known several men, every way competent, who 
were so possessed with this idea of their own inca- 
pacity that they invariably became impotent whenever 
they attempted an approach to the other sex. This 
timidity is sometimes exhibited in the most striking 
manner, the patient being intensely agitated, and so 
nervous that his whole frame trembles, and his bodily 
powers sink so much that often fainting ensues. This 
peculiarity appears to be constitutional, and is often 
seen in those who are by no means nervous, in the 
ordinary acceptation of the term, and who are collected 
enough in regard to other matters. The only remedy 
for such an infirmity is constant association with am 
object, in marriage, by which means a proper familiar- 
ity is induced, and in time the individual loses his 
distrust and becomes convinced of his perfect capabil- 
ity. In most of these cases there is a real excess of 
power, rather than a deficiency, and the very intensity 
of the feeling tends to prevent its gratification, by 
completely absorbing all the vital energies. I have 
frequently been consulted by persons so circumstanced 
as to the propriety of marriage, they fearing that the 
failing could not be recovered from, and it has been 
with the greatest difficulty that I could persuade them 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 187 

to the contrary. In every instance, however, I have 
found marriage to effect a cure, though it might not 
•be immediate. Some have worn off their distrust 
very soon, others have experienced it for months, but 
eventually have been surprised that they ever did so at 
.all. It is the fear of failure that causes it with these 
people, and when that fear is once found to be ground- 
less the cure is complete. In some few of these cases 
a little medical assistance is available, but it is of a na- 
ture not necessary to point out here. I once saw a 
man who had been married for three years without 
being able to associate with his partner, and solely 
from this cause. In all probability he never would 
have done so, had it not been for the advice he re- 
ceived, and yet there was no real deficiency of any 
kind. The celebrated John Hunter gives us a similar 
instance, which he met with in his practice. The pa- 
tient was perfectly incompetent, solely from the fear of 
failure, which so operated upon him as to always make 
him fail. Mr. Hunter was persuaded there was no 
other difficulty, and that it was merely necessary to 
break this spell ; he therefore required of him, as one 
essential requisite of the treatment, that he should 
remain with his companion, but on no account what- 
ever make any attempt for six nights, let his desire be 
ever so strong. The result was that belcre the period 
fixed had gone by his desires were so strong he found 
it difficult to obey the injunction, and feared he should 
have too much power instead of too little. In fact the 
cure was complete, without any further treatment. 
The only thing required in such cases is a judicious 
and honest physician, who will first ascertain that 
there is no real deficiency, and then explain to the 
patient the real nature of his case and the means by 
which it may be relieved. If this be done in a proper 
and sympathizing manner a cure may always be ef- 
fected, but by a wrong course of procedure the evil 
may be confirmed. 

A too great intensity of the sexual feeling itself will 
sometimes cause impotency, by overpowering the pa- 



188 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

tient before the act can be properly consummated. I 
have known instances of men who always became so 
intensely excited that they fell into a kind of dreamy 
stupor, and had involuntary emissions while in that 
state. This, however, can always be remedied by 
proper treatment. 

Several instances have come to my knowledge of 
men being impotent at their marriage, from their first 
discovering some disagreeable fact respecting their 
partners. _ In one instance the lady had a small ab- 
scess on the arm, which she had hitherto concealed, 
and doubtless thought it a matter of little or no con- 
sequence, as her health was good and her appearance 
remarkably pleasing. Her partner, however, thought 
differently, and such was the effect upon his mind that 
he could never afterwards experience the slightest 
desire towards her. In some cases such simple dis- 
coveries as false hair, or false teeth, have had a similar 
effect. It is not so much that the circumstance is ex- 
cessively disagreeable in itself as that it is unexpected, 
and its discovery destroys the dream of comparative 
perfection hitherto indulged. With uncultivated and 
unimaginative people such causes might operate but 
slightly, or not all, because they form no such ideal 
image, but with men of refinement it is different. 
There is no doubt but that a good deal of the dissatis- 
faction, and loss of power, which many men experi- 
ence after marriage is owing to this circumstance. 
They are ignorant of the real physical and moral na- 
ture of the being they take to their bosoms, and have 
formed a picture of her in the imagination very differ- 
ent from the reality, so that when the truth is known 
their feelings undergo a complete revulsion. This 
ignorance sometimes extends to the most ordinary 
functional phenomena of the female system, and the 
first knowledge even of that has, to my own knowl- 
edge, produced a very disagreeable and lasting effect. 
In short, it is in this as in everything else, ignorance 
and concealment produce evils that only knowledge 
and mutual confidence can prevent or remove. 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 189 

For full information on many of these matters, see 
" The Marriage Guide." 



EXCESSIVE SENSIBILITY OF THE GENITAL ORGANS. 

Sometimes the sensibility of the Genitals is so much 
exalted, either naturally or accidentally, that emission 
occurs upon the slightest excitement, and the indi- 
vidual is thus made impotent from inability to perfect 
the connexion. This condition is in reality a diseased 
one, and ought so to be considered, as much as any 
other we have described. 

The seat of this extra sensibility is sometimes in the 
Testes or Vas Deferens, or in the ejaculatory Ducts, 
but most frequently in the Glans Penis. When it is 
very great the organs are thrown into a violent or- 
gasm almost at a touch, and emission occurs at the 
very first attempt. I have known men married for years 
who never had perfect association with their partners 
during the whole time, and simply from this cause. 
They were in no respect whatever deficient, nor even 
subject to nervous excitement, but were unfortunately 
affected by this excessive sensibility. Other men I 
have known who dare not marry at all from this cause, 
feeling sure that if they did the marriage could never 
be consummated. 

The immediate cause of this trouble appears to lie in 
the peculiar structure of the Glans, the skin of which 
is unusually delicate, while its nerves are ramified into 
thousands of minute twigs, which are distributed to 
every point of the surface. The exquisite sensibility 
of these nerve twigs is sometimes so great that the 
mere touch of the clothes is sufficient to excite, and 
the patient is thus kept in a constant state of irritation. 
This condition may be induced by disease, particularly 
by inflammation, the Penis being then as tender as 
the surface of an abscess, just before it breaks, and 
feeling the slightest pressure or friction. 

When this excessive sensibility is produced by any 
disease it will of course disappear when the disease is 



190 SYMPATHETIC DISS ASKS. 

cured, but when it is natural the removal or modifica- 
tion of it becomes much more difficult, though great 
relief can nearly always be obtained. The first requi- 
site is to remove all extraneous sources of irritation, 
and to attend to the diet, clothing, and general regi- 
men, then the great point is to harden the skin of the 
Glans, so that the nerves may be more thickly cov- 
ered, and their sensibility reduced. This must be ef- 
fected by the constant use of astringent washes, or 
caustics, and in certain cases by the use of Galvanism. 
Every one is familiar with the effect of certain sub- 
stances on the hands for instance, in making them 
hard and destroying the delicacy of their touch, and 
it will be readily seen that the same means will deaden 
the sensibility of other parts. Lime-water is very 
good in some cases, and water saturated with iron- 
rust in others, but the best agents are the astringents, 
such as alum-water, solutions of tannin or white oak 
bark, or gum kino or catechu. These must be used 
every day, as washes, and the Glans kept covered 
with cotton soaked in them. They will always do 
good, and frequently effect a perfect cure, but when 
they are not sufficient, caustics must be employed, and 
this must be done by a physician. — When the prema- 
ture discharge takes place from irritability of the Ure- 
thra or ejaculatory ducts, a soothing external treatment 
must be adopted, consisting of washes and baths, 
combined with the use of particular medicines in- 
ternally, the kind of which must be determined by 
the peculiarity and seat of the irritability. — I have had 
some of the most distressing cases of this extreme 
sensibility brought under my notice, but I have not 
had one that was not relieved, except when it arose 
fVom some incurable 'disease. — The connexion between 
this complaint and certain moral infirmities will be 
obvious, and it will be readily admitted that its proper 
treatment may frequently be a matter of great conse- 
quence. —Children sometimes exhibit this troublesome 
sensibility of the parts, and it leads in them to con- 
stant manipulation, and eventually masturbation, if 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 191 

not corrected. How important that parents should 
know this, and how necessary that they should see the 
uselessness of mere moral preaching in such cases. 

Indulging in lewd thoughts, licentious reading, and 
all other such habits as keep the mind sensually ex- 
cited, have a direct influence in causing and maintain- 
[\r this and other derangements of the Generative 
organs, and no cure can be effected while they are 
continued. 

SPECIAL TOPICS. 

NERVOUS SPASM OF THE URETHRA AND PROSTATE. 

It is often the case that a man finds himself unable 
to urinate,, at certain times or under certain circum- 
stances, without there being any real hindrance to the 
passage of the urine. Some cannot pass their water 
if other people see them while doing so ; others cannot 
pass it in certain places, or at certain times, though 
they can readily do so at other times and in other cir- 
cumstances. Thus one man will be able always to 
urinate quite freely at a certain urinal, and another 
just at a certain hour only, but if the one be kept away 
from that particular place, or the other prevented from 
urinating at that particular time, neither of them can 
do so at all. I knew one man who went every morn- 
ing a long way out of his direct road to urinate at a 
certain corner, and I knew another who always waited 
till he heard his repeating watch strike a certain hour. 

Now, these particular troubles, though strictly ner- 
vous, are as real as any other. There is no obstruc 
tion in the urethra or bladder, but a peculiar nervous 
susceptibility in the urethra, which causes it to con- 
tract spasmodically under the influence of particular 
mental conditions. The influence of a certain location 
in one man, and of an hour in the day in the other, 
were necessary for the proper, natural action of the 
urethra, and deprived of these it immediately spasmod- 
ically contracted, and urination became impossible. 



192 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. * 

In very many of these cases the victims have been 
worried to death by fears of stone in the bladder, or of 
stricture, and, in former times, before these matters 
were well understood, operations have been performed 
to relieve these supposed difficulties. Jean Jacques 
Rousseau had his life made miserable by a trouble of 
this kind. 

The same difficulty may attend the passage of the 
seminal fluid, and may lead to still worse results. 
Thus a man may be seminally vigorous, and fully able 
to have association, but be quite unable to pass any 
semen. He is aware that there is an orgasm, and that 
he has lost it in some way, but none passes from him, 
so far as he can see. The fact is that, just at the 
moment of emission the urethra has contracted, spas- 
modically, and the semen has been thrown back into 
the bladder. The distress of mind this gives rise to is 
often deplorable, the individual thinking that he is 
hopelessly sterile, from having no semen. This causes 
often the most desponding state of mind, leading to 
hypochondria, and even insanity and suicide. 

It is not only the mind, however, that is affected, 
but much real bodily suffering is felt. The semen 
being prevented from passing out by the natural way, 
when it escapes from the vesicles, is forced to distend 
the small part of the urethra in which it is imprisoned, 
till it gradually forces its way back, by the Veru Mon- 
tanum, into the bladder. In doing this the parts are 
violently stretched, almost to the point of bursting, the 
prostate is pressed upon, and the whole region of the 
bulb of the urethra is much congested. The pain 
which this causes is sometimes so great that the man 
faints, or goes into an epileptic fit. I have known a 
state of unconciousness to follow such an occurrence 
that has lasted for over an hour. The pain is often 
felt not only in the urethra and prostate gland, but in 
the rectum, and in the back of the head or base of the 
brain, these parts feeling as if they were violently 
squeezed with hot nippers, or as if a sharp knife were 
thrust into them. 



SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 133 

So great is the distress thus caused that many men 
dread to have connexion, from fear of the suffering, 
although they feel themselves fully competent, and are 
even in need of association. 

Some men find this spasmodic contraction of the 
urethra come on from very slight causes — bodily, 
mental, or emotional — and are unable, in consequence, 
to do many things for which, otherwise, they are fully 
capable. - I have known clergymen who felt this con- 
traction of the urethra whenever they mounted the 
pulpit, and lawyers who were similarly distressed when 
they had to address court or jury. In such cases, as soon 
as the contraction is felt, the individual is often irre- 
sistibly compelled to try to pass the urine, even though 
he has no need to do so, and if he tries he of course 
fails, and is then in the direst distress. In other cases 
the passage of even a few drops gives instant relief. 

One clergyman I knew always wore a urinal attached 
to his person when he went to preach, and immediately 
he felt the spasm he urinated, and was instantly relieved. 
If he could not have done so, preaching would have 
been impossible. The difficulty was felt at no other 
time, and once, even when preaching at a new place, 
and much occupied with new friends up to the last 
moment, he had no sign of the trouble ; it was simply 
forgotten. Many men troubled with such a spasm, 
and unable to urinate, can always do so if they are 
alone and can see running water, such as a hydrant ; 
and I knew one gentleman who always carried with 
him a small india rubber vessel, with a tube leading 
from the bottom. This he would fill with water, hang 
it up, and look at the water trickling from the end of 
the tube ; then he could urinate freely and in comfort. 
Such cases, both sexual and urinary, depend upon a 
peculiar morbid condition of the nerves of the urethra 
and surrounding parts, and probably sometimes upon 
disease of the base of the brain. 

The morbid states which originate this trouble are 
so various, in different individuals, that general treat- 
ment can be given only to a small extent 



194 SYMPATHETIC DISEASES. 

As a rule all excitants and stimulants are bad, and 
it is especially necessary that the man should never 
keep up sexual excitement too long at a time, nor re- 
peat it too often. This, as before explained, is one of 
the most frequent causes of this and other similar ner- 
vous conditions. By this habit alone, and by mastur- 
bation, many men bring on, and perpetuate, this ten- 
dency to nervous spasm of the urethra, till it becomes a 
settled habit. Some cannot urinate if told to do so, 
try how they will, and others cannot have connexion 
even when requested, though strongly desirous of the 
indulgence. 

As a rule, bromide of potassa gives much relief in 
such cases, combined with tonics and nutritious, but 
unstimulating, diet. Much mental worry or head 
work will tend to keep up the trouble, and will prevent 
the due action of treatment for its cure. I have had 
many such cases, and have seldom seen any two that 
were the same, or that yielded to the same remedies ; 
but, except where there are complications, relief can 
very generally be obtained. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SPERMATORRHOEA, OR EXCESSIVE LOSS OF SEMEN. 

This is a subject of more importance, as regards 
human health and happiness, than perhaps any other 
that can be mentioned, and yet it is one about which 
very little is known, except by a few individuals. I do 
not hesitate to say that more evil effects, ten times over, 
are produced by this almost unsuspected cause, than by 
all the diseases already enumerated, and perhaps even 
than by nearly all other diseases put together. And 
not only is it destructive to the body, by preventing its 
proper development in youth, making it a mass of 
disease in mature life, and causing its premature decay 
and death, but it is equally baneful to the mind. By 
its influence the vivacity and energy of youth is 
changed to a listless indifference, the vigor of man- 
hood is destroyed, and the calm, peaceful content of 
mature life is turned into despondency and gloom. 
Many a young man, with mental powers capable of 
making him both eminent and happy, and with every 
requisite of bodily health and strength, has terminated 
a short-lived miserable existence by suicide, or dragged 
out his life in a state of idiotic imbecility through this 
unsuspected disease. 

The excessive loss may either be the result of licen- 
tious indulgence, solitary or otherwise, or it may occur 
without the individual's cognizance, the effects being 
much the same in either case, though apt to be as- 
cribed to other causes in the latter case, and also to be 
often underrated. 

The fact that the semen does frequently escape in an 
involuntary manner is generally known, there being 
but few men who have not so suffered more or less, 
and it is also well known that such involuntary losses 



196 EXCESSIVE SE:irNAL LOSSES. 

are very injurious to health, but the real extent either 
of the disease or its evil effects are known to but few. 
The only cases known to occur, by people generally, 
are those in which the escaped semen is actually seen, 
but it often escapes in an unseen form, and is unsus- 
pected. Many men suffer the extreme of wretched- 
ness and disease, become insane, and die prematurely, 
from this complaint, without ever having dreamed of 
anything of the kind. Spermatorrhoea, as I shall show 
further on, when excessive, may produce symptoms 
similar to those of almost every disease the system is 
subject to, and thus lead to the belief that there is 
Disease of the Heart, Liver Complaint, Dyspepsia, and 
a hundred other affections of which there is in reality 
no trace whatever. It may also materially impair the 
powers of the mind, or prevent their proper manifesta- 
tion, and so change the feelings and disposition that 
the individual can scarcely be recognised as the same 
person, by his conduct. 

The ravages of this destructive disease are not con- 
fined to any particular class, age, or condition, nor is 
it always a consequence of vicious conduct, as some 
suppose, but, on the contrary, it frequently attacks the 
most virtuous and exemplary. Some of the causes that 
lead to it may operate as well upon the healthy and 
strong as upon the weak and sickly, and attack the 
middle-aged married man, of temperate habits, as well 
as the licentious unmarried youth. It is therefore of 
the utmost importance that this evil should be unveiled, 
so that every one may know how to guard against it. 

To understand why it is that Spermatorrhoea leads 
to such manifold and diversified evils, it will be neces- 
sary to refer to the Organic and Sympathetic connex- 
ion between the Generative Organs and the rest of the 
system. In the former part of the present work this 
connexion is partially shown, but it is necessary here 
to make it still more manifest. 

To a considerable extent the Genital Organs are in 
direct connection with the Urinary, and in some places 
the same parts are common to both. The lower part of 






EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 197 

the large Intestine, or the Rectum, is also in close jux- 
taposition to them, as may be readily seen by referring 
to the Plates, and the description of the male system. 
Any disease, therefore, which affects the Genital Or- 
gans is very apt to derange them likewise, and it is 
quite possible that the secondary disease may be more 
severe than the primary one. Every one knows that 
diseases of the Bladder, Kidneys, Urethra, and Rectum 
are quite common, and frequently very distressing, 
while the causes of them are often undiscovered. In 
many such cases these diseases are only symfitoins, the 
primary trouble being Spermatorrhoea. 

The great cause, however, of the Genital Organs 
exerting such a general influence over every part is 
their intimate connexion with the nervous system. 
There is no other process carried on in the body that 
requires so much nervous power as the formation and 
evacuation of the semen, and no other is therefore so 
exhaustive of the vital energy. Even in youth the 
amount of this 'power required is very great, to effect 
the full formation of the Semeniferous Glands ; in fact 
Nature seems to put forth so much effort for this pur- 
pose that every other part is stimulated at the same 
time, and thus the perfecting of the Genital Organs 
is the means of developing the whole system. 

This is the reason why those who are castrated are 
always imperfect, both in body and mind, and die early. 
If the Testes are removed there is no other part for 
which nature will sufficiently exert herself to stimulate 
the whole, and consequently the development is only 
partial. Those who have ever seen Eunuchs will have 
had sufficient proof of this, but any one may observe 
the same thing in mutilated animals. Compare the 
Ox with the Bull for instance, or the entire Horse with 
the castrated one, and it will be at once evident that 
the form of the body, and the disposition, are com- 
pletely changed. Even in after-life the vital energy re- 
quired to secrete the semen invigorates the whole sys- 
tem, and disposes it to a constant activity that would 
otherwise not be exhibited. Men deficient in this 



198 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

respect are never noted for their enterprise and love of 
adventure, but are always inclined to be calm, inac- 
tive, and retired, even when possessing genius. Nearly 
all men of strong energetic minds and daring disposi- 
tions are of warm temperaments, or in other words 
have a plentiful secretion of semen. It is therefore an 
essential and important agent, both for perfecting the 
system in early life, and also for rousing it to sufficient 
exertion afterwards, and beyond doubt a deficiency or 
superabundance of this fluid may exert a decided influ- 
ence on the character of the individual. In all proba- 
bility many are dull and inactive from deficiency in 
this respect, while many others are too impulsive and 
restless from excess, and yet the truth is seldom sus- 
pected. 

A due consideration of these facts explains the true 
philosophy of sexual indulgence, and shows why licen- 
tious excess produces so many and such severe evils. In 
a healthy state Nature goes on supplying the necessary 
nervous energy, both to the Testes and the rest of the 
system, till a superabundance of semen is formed, anl 
then there is experienced a desire for its emission, the 
gratification of which is, physiologically speaking, under 
such circumstances, both proper and healthful. It is, 
in fact, only the expenditure of the overplus energy, 
and does not in any way weaken or destroy. If, how- 
ever, by artificial excitement, or factitious desire, the 
seminal emission occurs before this superabundance 
exists, it becomes exhaustive, and seriously impairs the 
vital energy. Indulgence should therefore be allowed 
only when this overplus power excites to it, and any 
man can easily tell when that is by studying his feelings 
and experience, and by not giving way to artificial ex- 
citement. 

When the seminal emission occurs oftener than 
nature properly provides for, the nervous energy 
expended is no longer a superfluity, but a needful por- 
tion of the common stock, and its abstraction neces- 
sarily weakens the power of the whole system. For a 
time Nature can, by extra effort, supply the deficiency 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 199 

thus produced, but if the excess be too long continued 
this effort at last fails, and then a general prostration 
ensues. The career and ultimate end of any licentious 
debauchee will well illustrate this, and should act as a 
timely warning to shun the same evil path. 

The reason why the victim of excessive seminal dis- 
charge suffers from almost every ailing of body and 
mind, will now be evident. The stomach cannot di- 
gest, the heart cannot propel the blood, nor the brain 
think, unless they are each supplied with a due amount 
of nervous power, and if most of that power be ex- 
pended in the production and evacuation of the semen, 
of course they will be deficiently supplied, and will 
consequently perform their functions imperfectly. 
Here, then, we have the cause of numerous cases of 
Dyspepsia, Heart Disease, dulness of the intellect, and 
insanity. 

Besides this exhaustion of the nervous energy, how- 
ever, it is also probable, from observations recently 
made, that the semen requires for its perfect formation 
some important and subtle elements of the body, the 
abstraction of which in too great quantities is highly 
injurious. It has been supposed, and with consider- 
able plausibility, that a part of the seminal fluid is 
identical with some portion of the brain and nervous 
substance, and that this common material is produced 
for the use of both respectively. This explains why 
the mind is nearly always active in those who are of a 
warm temperament, because the brain is nourished by 
a part of the same material which is produced to form 
the semen. It also shows why the mind must suffer 
when the semen is expended in too great quantity, be- 
cause the very substance the brain requires is that 
taken away, and it suffers in fact from want of its proper 
nutriment. In confirmation of this it has been stated 
that the brain has actually been found wasted, and 
softened, in many persons who have died from licen- 
tious excesses, and I have myself observed the fact after 
death from Masturbation. In one case especially, the 
color and consistence of the brain was so remarkably 



200 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

different from those of a healthy person that no one 
could fail to observe it ; it had in, fact, the very same 
appearance as in many states of disease, and I have 
no doubt but that in many of these poor victims the 
brain is constantly wasting away. This is probably 
the true cause of that distress in the head, dimness of 
sight, and loss of hearing, that many of these patients 
complain of, and which sometimes continues till they 
become deaf, blind, and insane. 

This explanation of the way in which Spermator- 
rhoea produces such various evils, will make our de- 
tailed account of its effects easily understood, and will 
also make clear the philosophy of its proper treatment, 
and what should be done for its prevention. 

CAUSES OF SPERMATORRHOEA. 

There are undoubtedly many causes of Spermator- 
rhoea with which we are but imperfectly acquainted, 
and probably many that are not yet suspected. Mr. 
Lallemand remarks that "when it occurs spontan- 
eously, during sleep, in a healthy and continent indi- 
vidual, it doubtless exerts a beneficial influence on the 
economy, by freeing it from a source of excitement, the 
prolonged accumulation of which might derange the 
animal functions. In these cases it has an effect anal- 
ogous to that produced by the bleeding at the nose 
during youth. 7 ' If, however, the discharge becomes 
excessive, or continues longer than the state that first 
produced it, great evil may follow, as already shown. 
Probably the most frequent cause of Spermatorrhoea is 
too frequent sexual excitement, especially in the form 
of Masturbation. This leaves the organs in a state of 
irritation which stimulates them to constant activity, 
and makes them perfectly independent of the will. 
At first the emissions are always attended by erections 
and pleasurable sensations during sleep, but in time 
they begin to occur without either erection or sensa- 
tion, and finally take place in the>day-time, whenever 
the bowels' are moved, or the urine passed, and in ex- 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 201 

treme cases there is a constant running away of the 
semen without any intermission. To understand the 
reason of this constant and uncontrollable escape of 
the semen, I must refer to some of the Anatomical de- 
tails given in the description of the Male Organs. It 
was there shown that the semen passes, from the 
Testes, along a pipe or duct, called the Vas Deferens, 
which opens into the Urethra, through the Prostate 
Gland, by two little mouths called the Ejaculatory 
Ducts. These mouths are always shut in a healthy 
state, except under the influence of sexual excitement, 
and then they open to let the semen through, but 
afterwards firmly close. If, however, they are called 
upon to do this too often they become irritated or re- 
laxed, and consequently are more disposed to open 
from slight causes and have less power to close again. 
They are especially liable, when irritated, to be acted 
upon by the urine, which passes over them, and as the 
bladder itself soon partakes of the same irritation the 
urine is being constantly passed and is nearly always 
mixed with semen. The pressure of the Rectum on 
the Prostate Gland, when the bowels are moved, will 
also cause the ducts to open, and this is the reason 
why many persons always lose semen when at stool. 
The ordinary motions of the body even will do the 
same in bad cases, and more especially riding, run- 
ning, leaping, or coughing. Finally, the ducts entirely 
lose the power of closing, from relaxation, and then the 
semen is constantly dribbling away. 

Whenever the semen can be seen there can of course 
be no mistake as to the nature of the trouble, but 
very often it flows involuntarily without being visible, 
as before stated, and thus the individual may suffer 
without its being suspected what from. The manner 
in which this occurs will now be understood — the ducts 
become sensitive to the touch of the uri)ie, which in a 
healthy state produces no effect upon them, so that 
every time that fluid passes they open and allow the 
semen to escape along with it. The Bladder itself be- 
ing irritable also, owing to its intimate connexion with 



202 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

the diseased parts, the urine cannot be long retained ; 
the smallest quantity causes an irresistible desire to ex- 
pel it, and thus the individual is constantly urinating 
and constantly passing semen at the same time. It is 
only very recently that this fact has been ascertained, 
and doubtless numbers have died in this way, as be- 
fore remarked, without the slightest suspicion being 
excited as to the cause of their death. The means by 
which this mode of seminal escape is ascertained are 
simple and sure, in practised hands. They consist in 
examining the urine with a properly constructed mi- 
croscope, which exhibits in it the presence of the 
seminal aniinalculce. These minute animals are nearly 
always to be found in the urine of those afflicted with 
Spermatorrhoea, and their presence of course proves 
the escape of semen beyond a doubt. — It is quite com- 
mon for patients to remark that the urine is thick and 
ropy, particularly the last drops, and it is usually 
thought that this arises from inflammation of the 
Bladder, but in most cases it is only from being mixed 
with semen. In this way I have been able to ascertain 
the true nature of a person's disease in numerous in- 
stances, and to apply the proper remedy, where pre- 
viously they had been treated only for some symptom 
of that disease, and of course without any permanent 
benefit. Many times I have had respectable married 
men, of temperate habits, come to me with every 
symptom of Spermatorrhoea, but who assured me that 
they had never been troubled with anything of the 
kind. They judged so, simply because 4:hey never saw 
anything pass from them, and they did not know 
that it could occur in any hidden form. On showing 
these people the semen in their urine they were 
amazed, and deeply regretted the want of information 
that had prevented them from knowing the cause of 
their suffering before. I have no doubt but that this 
hitherto undetected form of Spermatorrhoea has been 
the cause of incalculable misery to thousands, and 
that it has condemed numbers to insanity and untimely 
death. — It is perhaps necessary to remind the reader 



excessive SEMINAL lossi:s. 203 

here that when the loss occurs in this way it is from the 
ducts being irritable, and not from being relaxed. 
When really relaxed or open, the semen escapes at all 
times, from various causes, or perhaps without any ac- 
cidental cause whatever. 

It was remarked above, in speaking of the causes of 
involuntary seminal emissions, that it probably arose 
most often from too frequent sexual excitements, es- 
pecially in the form of masturbation. It may be as 
well to remark, however, to avoid misapprehension, 
that too frequent excitement in any form may act in 
the same way. There are undoubtedly many married 
men who much exceed the bounds of true moderation, 
and they are apt to think that no harm will follow 
from such excess, because it is legitimate. This is a 
great and fatal mistake ; such men are just as liable to 
suffer as if their gratification was sought under any 
other circumstances, and I very often have such come 
to me for advice. The Physiological Laws by which 
health is maintained, are quite distinct from those 
moral enactments demanded by the welfare of society ; 
and the observance of one of these can never give im- 
muniiy from the consequences of infringing the other. 

It is not, however, excessive indulgence only that 
will cause Spermatorrhoea, for the very opposite of it 
may do the same. There are few men of warm tem- 
perament, if healthy, that can remain long strictly 
continent without having involuntary emissions during 
sleep. These, as before remarked, are sanitary efforts 
of nature to relieve herself, and when not too frequent 
may be beneficial rather than hurtful. Unfortunately 
there is always a tendency, if the continence continues, 
for them to become more frequent, so as eventually to 
constitute a real disease, and thus many a virtuous 
young man, who has never indulged in any form, is 
subject to the same misfortunes as the licentious de- 
bauchee or the victim of masturbation. This . is a 
truth as important to be stated as any other, though 
its announcement may seem strange to those who hear 
it for the first time. — There are fortunately many 



204 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

means that can be used, in such cases, to lessen this 
tendency to an undue increase of the discharge, and 
therefore these persons should know of their danger, 
in order that they may see the necessity for adopting 
such means. Over- exertion or great agitation of the 
mind will cause Spermatorrhoea, owing to the sympa- 
thy between the genital organs and the nervous sys- 
tem, and it is frequently produced in this way in mer- 
chants, students, professional men, and others. I have 
known many men of business who always had invol- 
untary emissions when they were much troubled about 
their affairs, and several law students have assured me 
that after any unusual application they suffered in the 
same way. — Many other diseases of the generative or- 
gans will likewise lead to Spermatorrhoea, and so will 
certain derangements of the neighboring parts, par- 
ticularly long-continued constipation of the bowels, 
piles, and gravel. Certain medicines also, especially 
Cantharides, Phosphorus, Iron, and Opium are very 
apt both to produce and aggravate it, and so will the 
use of Tobacco, Alcohol, and heating or highly-sea- 
soned food. — Among occasional causes, still less likely 
to be suspected than any above referred to, may be 
mentioned worms in the rectum, various skin diseases, 
and diseases or injuries of the brain. Venereal and 
Gonorrhceal affections also leave a tendency to Sper- 
matorrhoea, and often directly produce it. — I have be- 
come satisfied also that in many children there is a 
predisposition to it, inherited froin their parents, 
which is likewise accompanied in many cases with a 
congenital weakness of the parts, which is frequently 
denoted by incontinence of urine. — All these causes 
will, however, be illustrated in the " cases" which will 
be given further on. — The most frequent cause, how- 
ever, is sexual abuse, especially in young people, and 
the worst effects may not be felt till later on in life ; 
the follies and vices of youth being thus, in many in- 
stances, the originators of disease and misery in mature 
age. 



EXCESSIVE SEMIN'AL LOSSES, 205 



PARTICULAR EFFECTS OF SPERMATORRHOEA. 

The general effects already described may follow 
from great seminal loss occurring in any way, but 
when that loss is involuntary their effects are usually 
more severe, and several others are also experienced 
that do not always accompany voluntary indulgence, 
even when excessive. In fact, involuntary loss is gen- 
erally indicative of extensive and confirmed disease, 
and of course its symptoms are most severe. 

Some of the first effects are exhibited upon the parts 
more immediately connected with the Genitals, par- 
ticularly the Urinary Organs. The irritation speedily 
extends from the Ducts and Vas Deferens to the Ure- 
thra, and finally to the Bladder, which becomes in 
consequence so sensitive that it cannot retain the 
smallest quantity of urine without inconvenience. 
The patient is therefore constantly desirous to urinate, 
though but little fluid escapes when he does so, and is 
thus kept in a state of continual annoyance, so that 
he dislikes to join company, or go anywhere in public, 
for fear that he should not find opportunities for re- 
lieving himself. 

I have known men made completely wretched in 
this way, and in one case, very recently, the individual 
was compelled to give up a profitable and pleasant 
occupation, merely because he could not remain at his 
post sufficiently long at a time. Ultimately this irrita- 
tion may become so bad that all voluntary power over 
the bladder is lost, and the urine then escapes con- 
stantly, without the patient being able to control it. 
This irritation of the bladder is usually one of the first 
indications that a man has exceeded the bounds of 
moderation, though it does not always occur, even in 
the most confirmed cases of involuntary emission. 

When the irritation has existed long in the Bladder 
it is apt to extend along the Ureters to the Kidneys, 
and produce there all the symptoms of inflammation 
of the Kidneys and of Gravel, with great weakness 



206 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

and pain in the back. It is difficult to convince many 
patients that they have not these diseases, and still 
more difficult to show them, when they are unin- 
formed, how their troubles really arise. 

Another part very apt to suffer from Spermatorrhoea 
is the Rectum, or large intestine, which is in direct 
communication with the Prostate Gland and Seminal 
Vesicles, as may be seen by the plates. In some per- 
sons there is a constant feeling as if the bowels were 
about to be moved, with a bearing down sensation, 
and a partial protrusion of the Intestine. In others 
there is a general uneasiness around the Anus and 
Perineum, which causes the patient to be continually 
shifting about on his seat, and moving as if he were 
in pain. Occasionally there is considerable irritation, 
or itching, and very often severe Piles, from the circu- 
lation of the blood being impeded. In short, the Rec- 
tum may be affected in many different ways, and so 
may the rest of the intestines, from their connexion 
with it. Sometimes there will be a partial paralysis of 
their muscles, from the deprivation of nervous power, 
which, by arresting the peristaltic motion will cause 
obstinate constipation. At other times the mucous 
coat partakes of the general irritation, and then we have 
Diarrhoea exhibited, and no medication whatever can 
check it so long as the Spermatorrhoea continues. 

Another symptom of Spermatorrhoea, sometimes 
met with, is a peculiar irritation of the Urethra and 
Meatus Urinarius, or external opening from the Penis. 
This irritation is sometimes very slight, and only ex- 
perienced after urinating, but at other times it becomes 
quite severe, and pretty constant, resembling in fact a 
real Gonorrhoea, and being even accompanied by a 
discharge, showing the existence of inflammation. 
Many men have become much alarmed from this symp- 
tom, supposing it to be an infectious disease, and in 
several instances I have known it the cause of mutual 
suspicion and much domestic unhappiness. 

These local effects are usually the precursors of more 
general and severe ones, the connexion of which, with 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 207 

the true cause of all, it becomes more difficult to trace. 
In addition to a universal lassitude and weakness there 
is experienced a remarkable loss of power in the lower 
limbs, owing to which the patient finds it impossible 
to walk far, or to stand long upon his feet, without 
being overcome with weariness, and feeling benumbed 
in the leg and thighs. The slightest exertion makes 
him tremble and look pale, his heart nutters, or stops 
beating altogether, and he experiences a tendency to 
faint. 

This distressing debility is sometimes so excessive 
that the individual becomes almost unable to move, 
and yet he may not be much fallen away ? nor look 
very sick, so that uninformed persons are apt to think 
it is mere idleness, or pretension. In the course of 
time, however, the stomach begins to suffer, and be- 
comes so weak that digestion is imperfectly performed, 
and then emaciation follows, which sometimes be- 
comes a complete and rapid wasting away. The loss of 
nervous power sometimes affects the Diaphragm more 
especially, and then there is great difficulty in breath- 
ing, which, with other sensations, leads to the belief 
that the Lungs are diseased. And when this occurs 
along with palpitation of the heart, which originates 
much in the same way, the poor patient is in a state 
of constant worriment and fear, nothing being able to 
convince him that he has not Consumption and Heart 
disease all at once. 

The head is not exempt from the general influence, 
and headache, rush of blood, dizziness, and constant 
drowsiness are commonly complained of. Partial dim- 
ness, or loss of sight, is also frequently observed, as if 
a cobweb had been spread over the eye, which fills with 
water, and looks red, on the slightest extra use of it. 
The eyelids, however, are more disposed to inflamma- 
tion than the eye itself, and it is impossible to do them 
any good while the Spermatorrhoea exists. 

The most marked effects, however, are exhibited in 
the mind and feelings. Mental activity becomes as 
difficult and unpleasant as bodily, and the patient be- 



208 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

comes dull, listless, and moping, his memory fails ; his 
judgment weakens, and all power of application 
seems lost. When he sits down to study anything 
the powers of the mind appear to wander, so that he 
cannot bring them to bear on the desired point, and 
often he wakes up from a kind of dream and finds that 
he has quite forgotten his subject altogether. This 
listless abstraction often gets so bad that the individual 
is unfit for business of any kind, and not unfrequently 
it degenerates into insanity. I have known several in- 
stances of men failing in their business from this cause, 
and I have no doubt but that it is oftener connected 
with human mistakes and errors than people suppose. 
In youth especially this effect is a very serious one, and 
the bright prospects of many a promising young man 
have been crushed in this way, without either himself 
or his friends being able to tell the cause. If the records 
of College and business failures, and of our lunatic 
asylums, could all be properly written, the number of 
victims in each who have been made so by this dis- 
ease would astonish every one. And probably we may 
add also that moral failing has not unfrequently had 
the same origin. 

The feelings and dispositions of patients of this 
class, in most cases, undergo as decided changes as 
their mental powers, and equally to their disadvantage. 

Sometimes they become melancholy, and sensitive, 
to such a degree that they burst into tears from the 
slightest cause, and constantly think they are pur- 
posely subjected to trials and insults that no one around 
them dreams of. At other times they become irritable 
and peevish, keeping all around them in as great a 
state of irritation as themselves, and firmly believing 
they are the most ill-used people in the world. Occa- 
sionally there is some peculiar form of Monomania ex- 
hibited, one person believing that he is constantly 
pursued by some enemy, who wishes to deprive him of 
his life or fortune, while another as firmly believes that 
some terrible misfortune is about to overtake him, from 
which he can by no effort whatever escape. It is but 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 209 

seldom there is any tendency to violence exhibited, at 
least towards others, the powers being too much de- 
pressed, but sometimes the patient will injure himself. 
Many instances are on record of monomaniacs, of this 
glass, castrating themselves, under the idea that they 
could never be better while the Genital Organs re- 
mained. In general there is a decided aversion to the 
opposite sex, and a shyness and embarrassment in ap- 
proaching them. Many reputed hermits and woman- 
haters have been men of this kind. 

In short, there is no end to the vagaries of mind and 
feeling induced by continued Spermatorrhoea, as will 
be evident on reading the following cases. 

There is one melancholy effect of this disease occa- 
sionally seen which I would willingly pass over if it were 
not necessary to disclose the whole truth, so that the 
real extent of the evil may be seen. 

The effect I refer to is a tendency to unnatural habits 
and vices, which in such cases Charity bids us look 
upon as resulting from a diseased brain, sympathizing 
with the derangements of other parts. 

The following cases are selected partly from My 
own Note-book, and partly from M. Lallemand's cele- 
brated work, " Des Pertes Seminales." 

The following case is one of M. Lallemand's, and is 
chosen here as an illustration of the fact, already stated, 
that this disease may exist and become very serious in 
married persons. It also shows how physicians may 
easily mistake the symptoms for those of other affec- 
tions. 

"In the month of January, 1824, I was requested to 

see M. de S , affected with symptoms of cerebral 

congestion, from which he had suffered for some time. 
During several consultations I gathered the following 
facts : 

" M. de S was born in Switzerland, of healthy 

parents, and his father died suddenly of affection of the 
brain. M. de S , possessing a strong constitution 



210 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

and an active mind, received an excellent education, 
and at an early age turned his attention to the study of 
philosophy and metaphysics ; he afterwards studied 
moral philosophy and politics. 

" After having spent some years in Paris, pursuing 
his favorite subjects, he was obliged to undertake the 
management of a manufactory, and to attend to details 
which wounded his pride. He became, by degrees, 
peevish and capricious — passed, without apparent 
cause, from an extravagant gaiety to a profound mel- 
ancholy — was irritated by the slightest contradiction — 
showed no pleasure at fortunate events, and gave way 
to anger on improper occasions ; at length he appeared 
to feel disgust and fatigue at correspondence or mental 
exertion. 

u At this period he married, and Dr. Butini, of 
Geneva, his medical attendant and friend, wrote res- 
pecting him as follows : 

" ' With this marriage the most happy period of his 
existence seemed to commence ; but soon the germs 
of the disease, which so many causes had contributed 
to produce, became rapidly developed. It was per- 
ceived that M. de S wrote slowly and with difficulty, 

and his style presented signs of the decay of his facul- 
ties ; he stammered and expressed his ideas very imper- 
fectly ; he experienced, also, at times, attacks of vertigo, 
so severe as to make him fall, without, however, losing 
sensibility, or being attacked by convulsions.' 

" One day an attack which frightened the patient 
seriously, and left a deep impression on his family, 
came on whilst writing an ordinary letter. His medical 
attendants attributed this attack, which left a weakness 
of the right side of the body, to apoplexy. Twenty 
leeches were applied to the anus, and the danger 
seemed at an end. 

"Similar attacks, however, occurred at Geneva, 
Montpellier, and several distinguished practitioners 
were consulted; some of these, struck by the misan- 
thropic irritability of the patient, and his solitary hab- 
i.s, regarded the affection as purely hypochondriacal or 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 211 

nervous ; others, taking into consideration his digestive 
disorder, considered it an affection of the liver ; but the 
great number were of opinion that there existed a 
chronic affection of the brain, such as encephalitis, or 
chronic meningitis, arising from hereditary predisposi- 
tion. This last opinion was held by Dr. Bailly (of 
Blois). 

* ! At all these consultations, the necessity of abstain- 
ing from serious occupation, the utility of travelling — 
of various amusements, and of a strict regimen — and 
the importance of free evacuations from the bowels by 
means of purgatives and injections — were agreed on. 
Many of the practitioners recommended the frequent 
application of leeches to the anus, with milk diet, 
etc. ; others thought that assafcetida, baths, and cam- 
phor were indicated. 

u None of these modes of treatment produced any 
considerable amendment; the leeches weakened the 
patient, and the milk diet disordered his stomach. His 
constipation continued. Cold plunge baths, and cold 
effusion to the head, relieved the insupportable spasms 

M. de S experienced in his legs and face; the 

waters of Aix, in Savoy, and the use of douches also 
appeared to produce some improvement. 

" Still M. de S became more irritable, and at 

the same time more apathetic. His attacks were more 
frequent and more violent, and he manifested greater 
indifference towards the persons and things he had 
before been partial to. The weakness of his limbs 
increased to such an extent that he frequently fell, 
even on the most level ground. His nights were rest- 
less, his sleep very light and often interrupted by nerv- 
ous tremors, or acute pains accompanied with cramp. 
The cerebral congestion increased, and the imminent 
fear of apoplexy rendered leeches to the anus, venesec- 
tion in the foot, tartar emetic ointment, blisters, mustard 
pediluvia, and the application of ice to the head, neces- 
sary. 

u Notwithstanding the employment of these ener- 
getic measures, another violent attack of congestion 



212 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 



occurred. I was summoned on this occasion, and I 
found the patient restless, agitated, and incapable of 
remaining two minutes in the same place ; his face was 
red, his eyes projecting, injected, and fixed; his physi- 
ognomy expressed extreme dread ; his walk was uncer- 
tain, his legs bending under the weight of his body; 
his skin cold, and his pulse small and slow. 

u The last circumstance attracted my attention, and 
I also recommended the application of leeches to the 

anus. M. de S immediately threw himself into a 

violent passion and asserted that leeches had always 
weakened him without giving hi?n any relief, I was 
too much afraid of the occurrence of apoplexy to pay 
attention to this assertion, and I succeeded in obtaining 
the application of six leeches. 

" The next day I found the patient very pale, and so 
weak that he was unable to walk — a source of much 
annoyance to him, as he manifested a constant desire 
for motion. An cedematous swelling of the parotid 
gland, and of the right cheek, followed, which was suc- 
ceeded, a few days after, by a similar state of the left 
leg and foot. 

" Sleep had become indispensable, and the patient 
was much reduced from the want of it ; he told me, with 
tears in his eyes, that he had lost his appetite and 
could no longer relieve his bowels. I also learned that 
he was habitually costive and flatulent; that he often 
had recourse to injections and purgatives in order to 
relieve his obstinate constipation — and, lastly, that his 
walks, and the evacuation of his bowels, had lately 
become the sole objects of his thoughts and conver- 
sation. 

" Having observed analogous symptoms in almost 
every person affected by diurnal pollutions, I made 
further inquiries respecting the attack, in which it was 
supposed that the right side had been paralyzed, and 1 
was soon convinced that the intellectual powers had 
been wanting, and not the power in the hand which 
held the pen : both sides of the body had, in fact, re- 
tained an equal degree of strength.. 



EXJESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 213 

" Struck by a remark of Dr. Butini's, respecting the 
progress of the disease soon after marriage, I made in- 
quiries of Mme. de S , and learned that the char- 
acter of her husband had become so uncertain, irritable, 
and tormenting, that his friends thought he must be 
unhappy in his marriage. I then suspected that the 
origin of the patient's disease had been mistaken, and 
I requested that his urine might be kept for my in- 
spection. The appearance of the urine was sufficient 
to convince me that my suspicions were well founded; 
it was opaque, thick, of a fetid and nauseous odor, re- 
sembling that of water in which anatomical speci- 
mens have been macerated. By pouring it off slowly, 
I obtained a flocculent cloud, like a very thick decoc- 
tion of barley ; a glairy, ropy, greenish matter re- 
mained, strongly adherent to the bottom of the vessel, 
and thick globules of a yellowish white color, non-ad- 
herent, like drops of pus, were mixed with this deposit. 
I was therefore convinced that spermatorrhoea existed, 
together with chronic inflammation of the prostate, and 
suppuration in the kidneys. 

"Notwithstanding the state of M. de S 's intel- 
lect, I was able at a favorable moment to obtain fur- 
ther information. At the age of sixteen, he had con- 
tracted blennorrhagia ; this he carefully concealed, and 
succeeded in curing by the use of* refrigerant drinks. 
The following year the blennorrhagia returned and 
was removed by astringents. Two years afterwards, 
from drinking freely of beer when heated, the discharge 
again appeared, and after some time it again returned, 
from the effects of horse exercise. Since that time 
M. de S had felt little sexual desire, and had ab- 
stained from intercourse without regret. Ejaculation 
during coitus had always been very rapid. Fully con- 
vinced by combining all these circumstances, I ex- 
plained to M. de S the nature of his disease, and 

he promised me to observe carefully. 

u The next day he called me aside, and told me that 
the last drops of urine were viscid, and that during an 
evacuation of the bowels he had passed a sufficient 



214 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

quantity of a similar matter to fill the palm of his 
hand. 

" Eight days after, another attack of cerebral con- 
gestion occurred, followed by stertorous breathing, 
cold skin, and an inappreciable pulse ; the patient fell 
into a kind of syncope, of which he died on the ist of 
March, 1824." 

Not long since I had under my care the Editor of a 
Newspaper whose case was almost identical with the one 
above, and who was first made sick, as he informed me, 
by excessive agitation during an Election Campaign. 

Constipation has been spoken of as a cause of Sper- 
matorrhoea, but few persons would suppose it could 
have the effect that sometimes follows from it. The 
next case, however, will convince the most skeptical, 
and though it is not often that we have such a severe 
case, there are yet plenty that are bad enough. 

"M. de B consulted me in the month of May, 

1834, respecting a cerebral affection, on whose nature 
distinguished physicians could not agree, but which all 
regarded as very serious. 

a He was of a middle height, with a large chest and 
a well-developed muscular system ; his hair brown and 
curly, his beard thick, his face full and deeply colored, 
Notwitstanding these signs of apparent strength and 
health, I noticed that his knees were slightly bent, and 
that he was unable to remain- long standing without 
shifting the weight of his body from one leg to the 
other ; his voice was weak and husky ; the motions of 
his tongue seemed embarrassed, and he articulated his 
words in a confused manner ; his attitude was timid, 
and his manner had something of incertitude and fear ; 
he had been married fifteen days. 

u His mother-in-law and his young wife, who ac- 
companied him, informed me that within this period 
he had several attacks of congestion of the brain, dur- 
ing which his face was highly injected. At the first of 
these attacks the surgeon, called in the night, had bled 



EXCESSIVK SEMINAL LOSSES. 215 

him to the extent of three pounds, in order to prevent 
apoplexy j repeated venesection, and the frequent ap- 
plication of leeches, had relieved such attacks of con- 
gestion, but had not prevented their recurrence. The 
patient had become subject to attacks of vertigo, and 
was unable to look upwards without feeling giddy; his 
legs had become so weak that he had fallen several 
times, even when walking on level ground ; his ideas 
had lost their clearness, and his memory failed rapidly. 

M These symptoms had spread consternation through 
both the family of my patient and that of his wife, es- 
pecially as several practitioners of reputation were 
agreed as to the existence of some serious disease of 
the brain, although they could not decide as to its na- 
ture. Most of thenij however, were inclined to sus- 
pect ramollissement. (Softening.) 

u The countenance of the patient during this recital, 
the coincidence of the congestion, with the period of 
his marriage, and the bad effects of blood letting, made 
me suspect the nature of the disorder, and induced me 
to question the patient separately. When we were alone 
he told me, stammering, that an unexpected occur- 
rence, immediately after his marriage, had at first pre- 
vented any conjugal intimacy, and that afterwards he 
had found himself completely impotent. He attributed 
this misfortune to the attacks of cerebral congestion, 
and to the bleedings he had undergone. On further 
inquiry, however, I discovered that he was affected by 
diurnal pollutions. 

"The following is the history I obtained from this 
patient by dint of questioning: — at the age of sixteen 
he possessed a very strong constitution, and an ardent 
and passionate character. At school he contracted the 
habit of masturbation, and at the end of three months 
he had frequent nocturnal pollutions, with pain in the 
chest and troublesome palpitations, which warned him 
of the danger of the vice, and he renounced it for ever. 
When he became free from the restraints of school, he 
subdued the ardor of his temperament, by the most 
violent exercises — especially that of the chase — and he 



216 EXCESSIVE SEMIXAL LOSSES. 

attached himself to agricultural pursuits with much 
energy. 

u This new mode of life so completely re-established 
his health, that he was tormented by energetic and 
continual erections, to subdue which he employed 
river-baths, even in the coldest seasons. He never 
committed excesses of any kind, and had never suffered 
from any blennorrhagic or syphilitic affection. 

"In 1831, the erections were slightly mitigated, but 
he became very much constipated, which he attributed 
to the constant use of horse exercise. 

" In 1832, he experienced some numbness and creep- 
ing sensations in his feet and legs. 

" In 1833, frequent dazzling of sight occurred, with 
vertigo, difficulty of vision, and flushes of heat towards 
the head and face ; the patient attributed all these 
symptoms to the effects of his still increasing consti- 
pation. 

" At the same time that these symptoms occurred, 
the patient's erections became rarer, less energetic, and 
after a time, incomplete ; his fitness for intellectual 
labor diminished ; the cerebral congestions became 
more frequent and more severe; his face became 
habitually very red; his head burning; an almost 
constant fixed pain came on in the orbits, and his char- 
acter became fickle and contradictory. 

"His family physician, attributing all these dis- 
orders to a state of plethora, caused blood to be drawn 
several times without benefit. 

" In March, 1834, M. de B engaged himself to a 

young lady, who lived about two leagues from his es- 
tate; and in order to visit her without neglecting the 
care of his property, he was obliged to make long and 
.frequent journeys on horseback ; shortly before his 
marriage, these journeys became so frequent, that he 
might be said to pass the greater part of his time on 
horseback. His constipation now increased to such a 
degree, that he passed forty days without faecal evacu- 
ation; during his efforts at stool he passed semen in 
large quantities, and in jets, although the penis re- 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 217 

mained flaccid. He had previously, several times, 
noticed the same occurrence, but as he attributed it to 
his long continue^ continence, he paid little attention 
to the circumstance. His urine was constantly muddy ; 
it was passed slowly, and with difficulty, and threw 
down a large quantity of thick and rlocculent deposit. 

" M. de B awaited the period of his marriage 

with a vague uneasiness, of which he could not im- 
agine the cause; he was much attached to his be- 
trothed, but, nevertheless, he experienced more em- 
barrassment than pleasure in her society. 

4i I have already stated what occurred after his mar- 
riage. I should add, that, having examined his genital 
organs, I found them, contrary to my expectations, of 
unusual development, the Testicles were large and 
firm, but the Scrotum was slightly relaxed. The 
patient experienced a strange tingling in the organs, 
and at times felt as if they were compressed by a hand 
of iron. These sensations increased when near his 
wife, and the penis diminished in size, and became re- 
tracted towards the pubes, in proportion as he en- 
deavored to excite erection. 

" The union of all these circumstances could not per- 
mit any doubt to remain on my mind as to the nature 
of his disease ; it became evident that all idea of cere- 
bral affection must be abandoned, and that the diurnal 
pollutions, with all the symptoms of which they were the 
cause, must be referred to the patient's constipation. 

" The first indication to be fulfilled, therefore, was 
to relieve the constipation ; indeed, I hoped this was 
all that would be necessary : the youth of the patient, 
the development of his genital organs, and the strength 
of his constitution induced me to suppose that his cure 
would be prompt and easy. Things did not, however, 
follow so simple a course. 

" The next day the patient began to use ascending 
douches ; and was put on a vegetable diet, with iced 
milk. 

" The first douches caused the evacuation of an im- 
mense quantity of faecal matter in lumps, as hard as 



218 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

bullets, and it was not until after the sixth douche that 
the faeces were of normal consistence ; I then caused 
the temperature of the water to be lowered to 88° 
Fahrenheit, and afterwards to 8i°. The last douches 
were given at 68°. After the twelfth douche had been 
administered, they were omitted, the bowels having 
acted regularly every day, without the necessity for the 
slightest straining. 

" By this time the patient's countenance had lost its 
purple tint, and presented a more natural appearance ; 
the stunning sensations of which he had complained 
diminished by degrees, and at length disappeared en- 
tirely ; his legs regained their strength, and he was 
able to continue in a standing posture for a long time 
without fatigue, and to take long walks without incon- 
venience; his voice resumed its natural tone, his eye 
regained its expression, and all his motions acquired 
firmness. 

" At the expiration of a fortnight the spermatic 
discharges during defecation had ceased entirely ; but 
his urine still continued thick. His erections had al- 
ready acquired sufficient energy to make him believe 
himself cured, but ejaculation took place almost in- 
stantaneously. The use of ice and cold lotions did 
not ameliorate his condition. 

" Such was M. de B 's state at the end of a 

month ; when, in order to act directly on the orifices 
of the ejaculatory ducts, I determined to cauterize the 
prostatic portion of the urethra. As soon as the in- 
flammation had subsided, his erections became more 
perfect and energetic ; yet ejaculation still took place 
too rapidly. The period for using the mineral waters 

having arrived, I sent M. de B to Aix, in Savoy, 

where T visited him shortly after. He had experienced 
very little benefit from the use of the waters, either ex- 
ternally or internally. 

u I now prescribed douches, alternately very warm 
and very cold, on the perineum and loins, the spout 
being changed when the sensation, either of cold or 
heat, became very intense. The bath was ended after 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 219 

about twenty or twenty-five minutes, by the cold 
douche, and the patient's skin remained highly in- 
jected for some hours afterwards. 

* ' The effects of these douches were conclusive ; after 
the first, the patient's erections acquired a degree of 
vigor and duration which reminded him of his early 
torments. He continued the use of the douches for 
some days after his re-establishment; and when he 
left Aix the functions of his genital organs were per- 
fect. Ejaculation was a good deal protracted by the 
use of the douches. 

** I have entered into a somewhat lengthy detail of 
this case, because the subject affects gravely the most 
serious interests of society, as well as the happiness and 
peace of families. Besides, I confess that I was much 
interested by the unhappy position of a young man 
whose misfortune was undeserved, and could not have 
been foreseen, as well as by that of his wife — a young 
woman scarcely of age, who was obliged to enter into 
the most unpleasant details. 

** It is evident that in the case of M. de B the 

constipation was the cause of the involuntary seminal 
discharges. The patient had practiced masturbation 
it is true, and nocturnal emissions followed ; but he had 
continued the vice only three months, and his health, 
though disordered for a short time, was soon re-estab- 
lished by the use of violent exercise. M. de B 

was even tormented during several years by erections, 
which must have been very energetic, if we may judge 
by the means he took to subdue them. From this time 
he had never committed any kind of excess, and he 
had never suffered from either blennorrhagia or syph- 
ilis. There is then no circumstance in the history of 
his life, except his constipation, which would account 
for the involuntary discharges. 

" But to what is this constipation to be referred? 
After all I could learn from the patient concerning his 
mode of life, I could only refer it to his constant horse 

exercise. In fact, M. de B sometimes passed 

whole days on horseback, either for the purpose of 



220 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

hunting, or of superintending the management of his 
property. Shortly before his marriage his rides be- 
came more frequent and longer, and his bowels at this 
time did not act during forty days. The weakness of 
his legs, the stunning sensations, etc., increased in pro- 
portion as his costiveness became more confirmed.'' 

This case recalls to my mind the well-known ob- 
servations of Hippocrates on the impotence of the 
Scythians, and I have no doubt that his opinion was 
founded on analogous facts. I shall treat this subject 
more fully in another place ; but since at present I am 
considering the causes of Spermatorrhoea which act on 
the seminal vesicles through the influence of the rec- 
tum, I report this striking case showing the effects of 
long continued horse exercise. 

" M. de B was accustomed to nutritious food, 

and of a well-marked, sanguineous temperament ; he 
had a large chest, powerful muscles, and a highly in - 
jected countenance ; it is therefore by no means extra- 
ordinary that he should have been bled frequently for 
the relief of the cerebral congestions to which he was 
subject. On the night of his marriage the blood 
rushed to his head with greater force than ever, so that 
an attack of apoplexy was much feared ; the weakness 
of the legs, the frequent falls, and the attacks of ver- 
tigo were therefore afterward attributed to an advanced 
stage of disease of the brain. This was a very natural 
opinion, but it was an incorrect one ; I doubted it 
from the commencement, although the patient was 
brought to me in consequence of a supposed cerebral 
affection. I formed a different impression, because I 
had previously seen many analogous cases. There 
exists in all these patients something peculiar in the ex- 
pression of the eyes, in the position, in the voice, and 
in the general appearance ; something of timidity and 
bashfulness which I am unable to express, but which is 
instantly recognised by the experienced, although per- 
haps it is incapable of explanation. However this may 
be, the relation of the above case should draw attention 
to the subject. 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 221 

" I admit that venesections seemed to be clearly in- 
dicated in the case of M. de B , but the loss of 

blood never produced good effects either immediate or 
remote ; and by analyzing the case carefully, his at- 
tendants would have seen that under this treatment the 
attacks increased in frequency. But pre-convictions 
throw a thick veil over the most acute perceptions. 

u The ascending douches put an end to the constipa- 
tion ; but freedom of faecal evacuation did not suffice 
to cure the disease. The seminal discharges, during 
the passage of faeces, diminished, indeed, or perhaps 
entirely ceased, but the patient's urine remained thick 
and muddy, and his erections were incomplete. The 
application of ice and of the nitrate of silver, and the 
use of sulphurous waters, were not sufficient to effect 
this cure; yet there could not have existed any or- 
ganic change in his genital organs. We can therefore 
only attribute the continuance of the seminal dis- 
charge, during the emptying of the bladder, to relaxa- 
tion of the ejaculatory canals produced by their long 
habit of allowing the semen to escape in a passive man- 
ner — showing how necessary it is to put an end to the 
habit as early as possible." 

The next case shows the effects of worms in the 
Rectum, both in producing and keeping up the Sper- 
matorrhoea, and also in first leading to Masturbation, 
in childhood. 

" M. R , a student of medicine, enjoyed good 

health in his childhood, but about the age of fifteen 
was tormented by frequent and prolonged erections. 
One evening, for the relief of the itching, of which the 
extremity of the penis was the seat, he rubbed the 
organ violently between his hands. This led to the 
establishment of masturbation as a habit, or rather 
as a passion, the patient practising it sometimes as 
often as eight or ten times a day. His health by de- 
grees became so altered that one of his friends sus- 
pected his practices, and told him the dangers of his 



222 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

situation. By degress he corrected himself, though 
not entirely before he had attained his twentieth year. 
On his renouncing masturbation, nocturnal emissions 
supervened, and often occurred two or three times a 
night. They diminished after a time, but without 
ceasing entirely, and seminal emissions during de- 
fecation and the emission of urine were added to 
them. Thus his health become daily more and more 
disordered for nine years, notwithstanding absolute 
continence, a severe regimen, and the use of sedatives, 
tonics, and anti-spasmodics. At length he grew in- 
capable of any mental exertion. In 1837, he came to 
Montpellier, at the age of twenty-nine, in the following 
condition : Extreme emaciation ; face pale ; appear- 
ance stupid and confused ; intellect dull ; reasoning 
powers much affected, the patient being incapable of 
connecting two ideas on the most simple topic of con- 
versation ; loss of memory ; constant headache re- 
ferred to the forehead and temples, and increased by 
any mental excitement, being then accompanied by 
nervous tremors, and an almost idiotic state ; sleep 
broken and unrefreshing; constant sighing; frequent 
attacks of congestion of the head, especially at night ; 
violent noise in the ears resembling the sound of 
a waterfall ; vertigo ; stunning sensations giving rise 
to a constant fear of apoplexy ; timidity carried to a 
ridiculous extent ; panics of fear even during the day ; 
character gloomy, taciturn, restless, and irritable ; hor- 
ror of the least noise, and of all society; irresistible 
restlessness; great weakness; abundant sweats after 
very slight exertion ; almost constant coryza ; frequent, 
dry and hard cough ; pains in the base of the chest, 
the region of the heart, and along the spinal column ; 
appetite voracious ; dragging at the pit of the stomach ; 
difficult digestion, accompanied with the development 
of flatus ; grinding of the teeth during sleep ; burning 
at the point of the tongue ; darting pains in the bowels, 
especially in the rectum ; obstinate constipation alterna- 
ting with violent attacks of diarrhoea ; stools containing 
much mucus, ' and sometimes streaked with blood; 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 



ma 



periodical pains at the margin of the anus, in the 
perineum, penis, and testicles ; urine passed in large 
quantities, and very frequently, always throwing down 
a whitish, thick, and very abundant deposit, involun- 
tary emissions during defecation, both when constipa- 
ted and relaxed ; frequent and prolonged erections by 
day as well as by night ; with constant presence of 
erotic ideas. 

" On sounding this patient, I found the urethra very 
sensitive, especially towards the neck of the bladder, 
and I consequently thought that the nocturnal and 
diurnal pollutions were kept up by a state of irritation 
arising from masturbation. I therefore proposed cauter- 
ization. This was performed on the following day, and 
produced the usual immediate effects, but its curative 
effects did not take place as I had anticipated. I then 
directed the patient to notice his faeces, and a few days 
afterwards he told me that he had observed numerous 
little worms passed in his stools. I now ordered ene- 
mata of cold water, and salt water, which, however, 
produced only a momentary effect, probably because 
the ascarides inhabited the upper part of the intestine. 
A few doses of calomel, however, caused them to disap- 
pear without returning; and from this moment the in- 
voluntary diurnal emissions ceased entirely, the noc- 
turnal emissions became more and more rare, and the 
patient's re-establishment progressed very rapidly. 
M. R — — returned to his studies with ardor, and long 
afterwards all functions were perfectly well performed. 

u It appears evident that the irritation caused by the 
ascarides in the rectum first led this patient to practise 
masturbation, and afterwards kept up involuntary semi- 
nal discharges. I did not discover this at first, because 
the history of his case, sent me by the patient, was so 
long, and was characterized by such disorder and want 
of clearness,' that I was unable to arrive at any satisfac- 
tory conclusions from such a chaos; his answers were 
still more vague and unconnected, so that my atten- 
tion had been chiefly attracted to the state of his in- 
tellect, and the abuses he had committed. But after 



224 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

seeing the little success of cauterization, and again 
reading his notes, I paid more attention to the circum- 
stances attending the commencement of his practising 
masturbation, and I noticed several symptoms to which 
1 had not before attached importance, such as grinding 
of the teeth during sleep ; burning pain in the point 
of the tongue; pain in the rectum, and at the margin 
of the anus; the stools always containing mucus, and 
sometimes being streaked with blood ; and especially 
the frequency and duration of the erections, and the 
constant presence of erotic ideas." 

I have met with many instances in which great irrita- 
tion of the Genitals was produced by worms, and I 
have no doubt but that the tendency to Masturbation is 
often caused by them, in both sexes, a fact that parents 
should bear in mind. Such cases show us the necessity 
for finding out the causes of such troubles, and not 
being content with treating the effects only. 

That the tendency to Spermatorrhoea is often here- 
ditary, I have no doubt, and I have met with some 
remarkable proofs of it in the course of my practice, 
but as they are not of a nature to be readily understood, 
by those not accustomed to observe them, it is not nec- 
essary to give the details. I have known many in- 
stances of brothers, in one case of five, all of whom 
suffered from excessive involuntary emissions, at the 
same age, and without being addicted to abuses of any 
kind. 

Peculiar congenital predispositions often exist, par- 
ticularly those of a nervous character, though few prac- 
titioners are aware of their real extent. M. Lallemand 
gives some excellent illustrations of this kind of cases, 
and I can select many such from my own note-book. 
The following will, however, be sufficient :■' 

u In general, such patients were of sickly constitu- 
tion and more or less marked nervous temperament; 
they had been delicate from childhood, and subject 
to various spasmodic disorders. Some of them pre- 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 225 

sented involuntary twitching of the muscles of the face, 
hesitation of the speech, etc. ; their imagination was 
active, and their moral and physical sensibility very 
acute. They were very restless, and bore contradiction, 
or mental excitement, badly. 

" In childhood they presented local symptoms, which 
indicated peculiar susceptibility of the urinary organs, 
every impression of fear or anxiety showing itself in 
this direction. What would have produced shuddering 
or palpitation in other children in them caused a secre- 
tion of clear watery urine, which they were obliged to 
discharge frequently ; a sense of constriction of the 
hypogastrium, and a sense of titillation generally ac- 
companied its discharge. This condition of the urinary 
organs, continued more or less severe in all the cases 
until after puberty, when it became joined with other 
symptoms. One of these patients one day experienced 
at the age of sixteen a fit of irritability and impatience, 
which, however, he succeeded in repressing ; and he 
then felt sudden and impetuous desire of micturition ; 
whilst emptying his bladder he perceived a large quan- 
tity of pure semen discharged with the last drops of 
urine. This occurrence was the forerunner of nocturnal 
and diurnal pollutions, which, at the age of twenty- 
seven, had entirely ruined his health. Another, at the 
moment of competition for a college prize, was unable 
to find an expression he wanted ; at the same time he 
felt a want to make water, which he resisted by firmly 
crossing his legs ; but his impatience increased and he 
shortly experienced an abundant emission without 
either erection or pleasure. A third patient suffered 
in the same way under similar circumstances ; he saw 
the moment approach for sending in his thesis, the 
more he endeavored to hurry the less freely his ex- 
pressions flowed; at length, on hearing the cl,ock 
strike, he suffered from so great mental disorder that 
he nearly fainted ; at this moment emission took place. 
A fourth having mounted on a high gutter of a house 
to take some sparrows* nests, looked down into the 
court below, and was suddenly seized with such terror 



226 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

that he fainted; on recovering and escaping from his dan- 
gerous situation he found that he had had an abundant 
seminal emission. The same circumstance occurred 
to a fifth, who, in descending a ladder, missed his foot- 
ing and fell. Another patient told me that if he looked 
down from a height, or only fancied himself on the 
brink of a precipice, he felt a sense of contraction in 
the genital organs which passed rapidly to the base of 
the penis, and ended by causing emission. The mo- 
tion of a swing produced the same effects in a seventh, 
and sea-sickness in many others. The fear of flogging 
also often leads to this evil in young persons. 

" Almost all these excitable persons were disposed to 
erection, and even to pollutions whenever they rode on 
horseback. 

" Although all these involuntary discharges were 
caused by extraordinary circumstances, I should not 
have paid much attention to them if they had not been 
followed by nocturnal and diurnal pollutions, which 
the most trifling circumstance rendered very serious. 
The disease, however, did not always put on a serious 
aspect immediately after these singular accidents ; very 
often, indeed, it only injured the patient's health long 
afterwards ; but as its gravity could not be explained by 
any occasional cause, I feel myself compelled to admit 
the existence of a congenital increased nervous suscepti- 
bility of the genito-urinary organs. Everything in- 
dicates, in fact, that the organs of these patients were 
rather excitable than weak and relaxed ; and this 
condition was congenital because manifested from the 
earliest infancy. This excessive sensibility of the geni- 
tal organs is ? however, not always preceded by a similar 
condition of the urinary apparatus. 

" In all these cases, tonics and excitants always pro- 
duced bad effects; proving that the genital organs 
were not suffering from atony or weakness. " 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 227 

SYMPTOMS BY WHICH THE SPERMATORRHOEA MAY 
BE DETECTED. 

In addition to the effects already enumerated, there 
are several other symptoms of Spermatorrhoea that are 
very useful to note, for the use both of the physician 
and patient. Some of them are such as are observed 
i;i various diseases, but others are peculiar to this affec- 
tion, and enable us to ascertain its existence when 
positive evidence is not to be obtained. 

Many persons suppose that in all cases the involun- 
tary discharge of semen is indicative of disease, and it 
alarms them very much. In many cases, however, the 
emissions occur, in those that are continent, from ex- 
cess of semen, and may then be beneficial rather than 
hurtful. This is often the case when they are in great 
quantity, though this peculiarity is apt to alarm, from 
the idea that the injury is proportionate to the quantity 
lost. M. Lallemand remarks that : 

- ' The most abundant nocturnal pollutions are far 
from being always the most hurtful. When they arise 
from true spermatic plethora, they often relieve erotic 
excitement, with its accompanying agitation, anxiety, 
uneasiness, and indefinable trouble in all the functions. 
They are followed by a general feeling of comfort ; the 
head becomes clearer, the ideas more rapid, and the 
motions more nimble ; there is more inclination to 
amusement, and to every kind of occupation. I admit 
that nocturnal pollutions do not often produce such 
good effects, but then they are not often the result of 
spermatic plethora ; they may too, easily lose their 
character so that habit alone tends to make them more 
and more frequent. In the greater number of cases, 
however, these evacuations are of very little impor- 
tance. 

* ' But this state of excitement is too violent to last 
long; by degrees the organs become fatigued. De- 
prived of their natural functions, and, consequently, 
being unstrengthened by regular exercise, they may at 



228 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

last fall into a state of atony, or the seminal vesicles 
may preserve the habit of contracting, under the influ- 
ence of slight or indirect excitement. The evacua- 
tions now produce effects quite opposite to those ex- 
perienced in the beginning. There are, on waking, 
feelings of discontent, idleness, weight in the head, 
disorder in the ideas, etc., but this condition passes 
off in the course of the day, and the patient is quite 
well on the following morning, if no further emission 
takes place. After a time, these effects become more 
serious and lasting, and two or three days are required 
to remove them completely. There is, however, no 
disease as yet, because the economy is not as yet per- 
manently disordered, but there is a degree of insta- 
bility in the patient's health, a valetudinary condition, 
the progress of which it is necessary to arrest. " 

Lascivious dreams are usually considered only as 
causes of nocturnal emissions, but they are in fact pro- 
duced, in most instances, by the excitement existing 
primarily in the Genital Organs, and are therefore 
symptoms of excessive vigor, in the first stages, rather 
than of weakness, or disease. So long as they only 
present pleasant images, without any disagreeable sen- 
sations, and are not followed by lassitude and weakness 
in the morning, they are not indicative of anything 
serious. But when these dreams are filled with filthy 
and disgusting ideas, horrible sensations, and night- 
mare, during which the discharge occurs without any 
pleasurable feeling, and is followed by distress next 
morning, they are sure signs of disease. As a general 
rule the danger commences when the pleasurable ac- 
companiments of the dream begin to fail, and when 
the discharge occurs without any sensations at all, or 
with disagreeable ones, it is truly a bad symptom. 

Diurnal, or daily, losses of semen are in general 
worse symptoms than nightly ones, and they are espe- 
cially bad if they occur spontaneously or from mere 
exercise. When they occur during the movement of 
the bowels, or while urinating, though they are usually 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 229 

indicative of a diseased state of the parts, yet they may 
be made much worse by constipation, gravel, and other 
affections of the neighboring organs, a fact that should 
be borne in mind when estimating their value. From 
not having these circumstances explained to them 
many persons lose semen in this way, perhaps for 
years, without knowing anything about it. When 
their attention is directed to the occurrence, however, 
it will generally be easy for them to detect the escape, 
whether it occur with the urine or after defecation. 
When with the urine there is a sensation as if some- 
thing heavier than usual is passing, which creates a 
slight pricking or tingling sensation, and the urine 
looks thick and cloudy, with globules floating in it 
like half-dissolved gum-arabic. If the escape occurs 
during the movement of the bowels a similar sensation 
is felt, and the end of the penis will be found covered 
with a glutinous fluid, which sometimes drops, but 
rarely runs away. More frequently the flow does not 
take place till the movement of the bowels is over, and 
perhaps not till the patient is dressing himself; it then 
comes suddenly, the whole quantity being discharged at 
once. This is preceded by a kind of shock, felt in the 
perineum and neck of the bladder, and sometimes with 
slight erections, accompanied by pleasure. In some 
cases a discharge occurs in this way of simple mucus, 
mixed with the fluids of the Prostate and Vesicles, and 
this should be suspected when losses of this kind are 
complained of, till a proper examination is made. 
These mucous discharges, however, never consist of 
more than a single drop, or two at most, and are quite 
thin and transparent, while the seminal emission is 
both thicker and more opaque, and in greater quantity. 
If the patient empties his bladder before going to stool 
the appearance will be more obvious, and if he observes 
a thick gummy discharge, during or after the passage 
of the bowels, there can be no mistake as to its being 
real semen. 

It is more difficult to ascertain the presence of the 
semen when it escapes in the urine, because it is so 



230 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

diluted, and undergoes several changes. I shall there- 
fore be particular to give all the indications that can be 
relied upon in such cases. — In the first place it must be 
recollected that the semen never escapes during the 
first flow of the urine, but always with the last few 
drops, or even after the bladder is fully emptied. 
There is in general the peculiar sensation already de- 
scribed, with slight pleasurable feeling, and a few spas- 
modic jerks of the neck of the bladder, by which the 
expulsion of the last drops is effected. — This is quite 
sufficient to distinguish spermatorrhoea from gleet, or a 
discharge from urethral inflammation, as in such cases 
the mucus always escapes with the first flow of urine, 
and is not accompanied by any of the sensations above 
described. The appearance of the urine also, if care- 
fully noted, will nearly always be sufficient to indicate 
the nature of the affection. The presence of the semen 
is nearly always indicated by the gum-like globules 
mentioned above, and also by numerous little irregu- 
larly-formed granules, somewhat like bran, which set- 
tle to the bottom of the vessel. These granules are 
soft, and fall down to the bottom of the vessel before 
the urine cools, without ever adhering to the sides, which 
distinguishes them from gravel. In short, no other 
discharge furnishes anything like these granules, so that 
their presence is sure proof of involuntary emission. 

Sometimes patients have peculiar sensations in other 
parts of the body whenever a pollution occurs ; thus 
some experience a pain in the nipple or back of the 
neck, some a cold chill and shivering, while others feel 
a burning heat around the anus, and after these sensa- 
tions they always observe the flocculent deposit in the 
urine. 

As the disease progresses the bran-like granules be- 
come fewer in number, and smaller, and at last almost 
totally disappear, so that the existence of the sperma- 
torrhoea has to be ascertained by other symptoms. 
The urine is still clouded with the gum-like deposit, 
and there settles to the bottom a number of little 
brilliant points, something similar to what is seen 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 231 

in newly-boiled mush. Like the granules they are 
soft, and do not adhere to the vessel. — These different 
appearances result from the altered condition of the 
semen, which, as the disease progresses, gradually loses 
its usual character, and eventually becomes totally 
changed. 

I have known patients much engaged in study in - 
whom involuntary emissions occurred in a very singular 
manner. They would experience, while sitting per- 
fectly still, a sensation in the perineum or at the root of 
the penis, as if the parts were suddenly drawn together 
and pinched. So distinct and strong is this felt some- 
times that the person immediately starts and com- 
presses the part in his hands. The sensation lasts but 
a short time, however, and nothing further takes place, 
if he remains still, but immediately he begins to exer- 
cise, or the next time he urinates, a quantity of semen 
escapes. This shows that the emission really occurs 
when the sensation is felt, but there is no action of the 
muscles to expel it till the parts are in some way made 
to act for other purposes. 

* IMPOTENCE FROM INVOLUNTARY EMISSION. 

Whenever impotence is not obviously owing to any 
of the causes enumerated in the previous part of this 
work, it is nearly always the result of pollution, and 
perhaps as a general rule it arises from this cause oftener 
than from any other. There are two modes in which 
it may be brought about by this cause, first by the de- 
struction of the powers of the Genital Organs, from 
general weakness, and secondly from a peculiar change 
which it leads to in the semen. For erection to take 
place there is always needed the presence of healthy 
semen in the seminal vesicles, and if this does not ex- 
ist, of course no erection can occur, and impotence 
necessarily follows. Any cause, therefore, which im- 
pairs the vitality and health of the semen must lead to 
impotence, and no cause does so more surely than 
long-continued involuntary emissions. 



232 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

The mode in which involuntary emission, or Sper- 
matorrhoea, from any cause, affects the semen, appears 
to be this. It has already been explained how the 
Seminal Animalcules are produced from certain little 
grains or vesicles, found first in the semen of the Tes- 
ticles, which break open and allow the Animalcules to 
escape. 

Now these little beings are the most essential part 
of the seminal fluid, and without them it can neither 
act properly on the male organs nor impregnate the 
female ovum. If, therefore, their development is pre- 
vented, Impotence and Sterlity must result, and this is 
what really follows from Spermatorrhoea. It is neces- 
sary for the semen to remain a certain time in the Vas 
Deferens and Vesicles, after it leaves the Testicles, so 
that the granules may burst and the Zoospermes be- 
come perfect, and if it be expelled from the body too 
soon this has not time to occur. The precise time 
requisite for the semen to remain in the body, after be- 
ing formed by the Testes, is not known, and it probably 
varies, both with different individuals and also under 
different circumstances in the same person. For a 
time the organs can, if healthy, perfect the semen rap- 
idly, so that a man can expel it very frequently, and 
yet have it healthy, but if this excess is continued too 
long, the power of the parts gradually weakens and the 
semen is at length discharged imperfect. This is pre- 
cisely what follows eventually, both from licentious ex- 
cess and from involuntary emissions; che semen has 
not been allowed to remain in the organs sufficiently 
long, and when it is expelled no animalcules are found 
in it, but only the granules from which they would 
have been developed had it remained. These are 
what are seen in the urine, in cases of long-continued 
involuntary emissions, like little shining points, and 
probably also the bran-like grains, observetl at an 
earlier period, are the granules in an undeveloped 
state. In many cases of long-continued Spermatorrhoea, 
both from excess and involuntary, the change is still 
more decided, so that the semen is merely like thin 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 233 

gum-water, and utterly incapable either of stimulating 
erection or of impregnating. — This is the true expla- 
nation why those who are exhausted by excesses, and 
those who have long suffered from involuntary emis- 
sions, become impotent and sterile, and it shows us 
what is really needed to effect a cure. If we can ar- 
rest the discharge, and restore a certain degree of 
tone and vigor to the organs, the semen may be again 
retained sufficiently long, and may become perfect, so 
that the power of erection and of impregnating may be 
again enjoyed. The chances of this are lessened, how- 
ever, in proportion to the time the flow has continued, 
and, at a certain stage, all our efforts are fruitless. I 
have, however, known some remarkable instances of 
restoration, even under the most unpromising circum- 
stances. In one instance a man, aged forty-seven, 
came to consult me, who had been perfectly impotent 
for nine years, during which he had not experienced 
the slightest manifestation of sexual power, nor scarcely 
ever been free from a discharge, which, however, was 
almost like water. According to his own statement, 
this unfortunate condition was owing to former licen- 
tiousness, his indulgence having been excessive, till the 
wretched state of his general health, and finally his 
complete loss of power, compelled him to abstain. I 
was obliged to say to him that the chances of restora- 
tion were so small as scarcely to be worth calculating 
upon, and that I should not be justified in giving him 
any hopes at all. He was so exceedingly anxious, 
however, and pressed me so earnestly to take him under 
my charge that I did. so, though with considerable re- 
luctance, and with great misgiving. Fortunately, he was 
a man of wealth and leisure, and disposed to follow out 
implicitly all the directions given him. — The particular 
plan of treatment that was followed is not necessary to 
be described here, as I shall speak upon it generally 
further on ; but the result is stated as an instance of 
what can be sometimes accomplished even under very 
unpromising circumstances. I had this patient under 
my constant care for fifteen months ; at the end of 



234 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

which time his sexual powers were sufficiently restored 
to allow of his marrying, which he did, and became a 
father. It took three months to stop the constant 
emission, and, after that, six months more elapsed be- 
fore animalcules began to appear in the semen, after 
which his improvement was very decided, though in 
all probability his powers will never be equal to what 
they were before, nor will they endure so long as they 
otherwise would have done. 

In cases where impotence is only partial, or has 
existed only for a short time, proper treatment can 
nearly always effect a decided improvement. Every 
moment, however, is precious in such cases, and no 
man should feel indifferent even to a slight falling off 
in his sexual vigor, if 'it continues ', and if he desires to 
preserve his powers. A short delay may lose all 
chance of restoration ; and it should be recollected also 
that, in most instances, the derangements which cause 
impotence have often serious effects, and generally so 
impair the health as to endanger life. 

I am almost daily seeing instances of weakened 
power from Spermatorrhoea, and, though I am com- 
pelled to admit that in some of them relief is hopeless, 
yet in many the result of the treatment is most satis- 
factory, and highly encouraging to those similarly 
affected. There is occasionally one result of Sperma- 
torrhoea different from any of these above described, 
and which is sometimes of considerable importance, 
both socially and as a point in medical jurisprudence. 
Some patients, of vigorous habits of body, will con- 
tinue to secrete the semen, and retain their powers of 
association, even after the disease has existed for a con- 
siderable time. They may, however, be sterile, though 
not altogether impotent, and the fault of barrenness is 
ascribed to the female, because no defect exists, so far 
as can be seen, in the husband. These men are able 
to associate, as before remarked, and to emit semen, 
but, on examining that fluid, none of the animalcules 
are found perfect, being either all dead or half formed. 
The semen, in short, is perfect enough to stimulate 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 235 

the male organs to a certain extent, but not perfect 
enough to impregnate the female ovum, and I have no 
doubt but that many cases of supposed barrenness in 
females are owing merely to' a defect of this kind in 
their husbands. I have known men affected in this 
way who were remarkably active and vigorous, and in 
whom no imperfection whatever could be suspected 
till pointed out by the microscope. — M. Lallemand 
was the first author who alluded to this important 
subject, and his remarks are well worth reading : — - 

" Infecundity. — Impotence is an absolute cause of 
infecundity, because it prevents the conditions neces- 
sary to fecundation from taking place ; but although 
the act of coitus may be accomplished, it does not fol- 
low that the person should always be able to perpetu- 
ate his species. Stricture of the urethra may prove an 
obstacle to the discharge of seminal fluid ; or the fluid 
may be directed towards the bladder or the parietes of 
the urethra, by deviation of the orifices of the ejacu- 
latory ducts. The secretion may be altered in its 
nature ; it may only contain imperfect spermatozoa, etc. 
A man may, therefore, be unfruitful without being im- 
potent On the other hand, I have met with many 
patients suffering from diurnal pollutions who had 
children exactly resembling them, even during the 
duration of their disease. Indeed, I have seen several 
cases in which the disposition to involuntary discharges 
was hereditary, and they affected both father and son. 
The disease is, however, essentially irregular in its 
progress ; it may continue long without doing serious 
injury to the health, long remissions may be experi- 
enced, or even a perfect cessation of the complaint for 
a longer or shorter time. We may easily conceive, 
therefore, that in the first degree, or during one of the 
periods of remission, fecundation may take place. 
When the disease is further advanced, however, many 
causes concur to render coitus unfruitful. Ejaculation 
is weak and precipitate, so that the seminal fluid can- 
not be thrown sufficiently far into the Vagina ; it is 



236 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

not sufficient in order to fecundate, simply to spread 
the fluid over the vagina; it must be projected with 
sufficient force to reach the uterine neck. Besides, 
in these cases the erections, even when they per- 
mit sexual intercourse, are incomplete and of very 
short duration ; emission takes place without energy 
and very soon ; so that, during such rapid acts, the 
uterus and Fallopian tubes have not sufficient time 
to experience the excitement necessary to carry the 
semen to its destination, even when it passes the 
neck of the uterus. The semen itself also under- 
goes great changes, to which perhaps the loss of the 
fecundating power is chiefly attributable. Microscopic 
researches have elucidated this formerly obscure sub- 
ject I have discovered, for instance, that the sperma- 
tozoa undergo changes similar to those of the fluid 
which serves as their vehicle ; these changes are ex- 
ceedingly important, and are owing to defective forma- 
tion. Spermatozoa may be met with in a less thick 
and less opaque fluid than natural, for they are not 
produced by the same parts, or in the same manner ; 
but when the secretion is perfectly thin and watery, 
the functions are so seriously affected that the animal- 
cules are altered ; they are less developed, less opaque, 
and less active than natural ; indeed, they are so trans- 
parent that peculiar precautions are necessary in order 
to make sure of seeing them ; their motions are weak, 
slow, and cease very soon ; and they rapidly undergo 
decomposition. All these characteristics show how 
much their texture is relaxed, and how imperfectly 
they are organized. 

"It is evident that the least arrest of development in 
the spermatozoa must prove an insurmountable ob- 
stacle to fecundation, even if the only function of the an- 
imalcules were to carry the liquor seminis to the ovum. 
When, however, their imperfect development only 
arises from a too rapid formation, it may soon be obvi- 
ated. It suffices that the involuntary discharges should 
cease for a few days only, in consequence of some acci- 
dental cause, or of one of the spontaneous changes of 









EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 237 

this extraordinary disease, in order for the aesires to 
become more lively, the erections more energetic and 
prolonged, and for the function to be accomplished in 
a natural manner. Fecundation is, therefore, possible, 
as I have previously stated, during the whole duration 
of one of these intermissions. 

" This is not the case when the spermatozoa are 
malformed, rudimentary, more or less deprived of tail, 
etc., for these changes only take place when there is 
a serious alteration in the structure of the testicles. I 
have taken every opportunity of dissecting the testicles 
altered in these cases, and I have always found the se- 
creting structures paler, drier, and denser than natural, 
and the cellular tissue more resisting, and with diffi- 
culty allowing the secreting ducts to be separated one 
from another. Sometimes half or two-thirds of the 
testicle were transformed into a fibrous or fibro-car- 
tilaginous tissue mixed in a few cases with tuberculous 
matter. It is the same also in the epididymis, where I 
have even seen traces of ossific deposit in the midst of 
cartilaginous indurations. These changes, caused by 
previous inflammation, perfectly explain why the de- 
velopment of the spermatozoa can no longer proceed 
normally. 

" Although in such cases the secretion of semen may 
be more or less diminished, pollutions may still be 
present if the seminal vesicles have shared the inflam- 
mation by which the testicles have been affected, as 
happens in most cases of orchitis arising from blen- 
norrhagia. I have at present a patient who presents a 
remarkable example of both these effects arising from 
this cause . he is now forty-one years of age, and had 
blennorrhagia followed by inflammation of both testi- 
cles at twenty-five. Soon after his recovery he mar- 
ried, but has never had children, although the act 
has been performed regularly, if not frequently. He 
became subject to nocturnal, and sometimes diurnal, 
pollutions, which increased by degrees. His health 
became disordered, but coitus was still possible. The 
semen passed, although it presented its characteristic 



238 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

odor, never showed under the microscope other than 
very small and brilliant globules, without any appear- 
ance of tail, but easily distinguishable from globules of 
mucus, the dimensions of which are five or six times 
larger. The epididymis of both sides was voluminous 
and irregular. One testicle was adherent to the skin of 
the scrotum, and the other smaller than natural. 

" Malformation of the spermatozoa, therefore, arises 
from deep-seated changes in the tissues of the testicles, 
changes which do not permit the animalcules to as- 
sume their normal form, and, therefore, render infe- 
cundity permanent. 

"To sum up then, involuntary seminal discharges 
may oppose fecundation previously to actually produc- 
ing impotence, by diminishing the energy of all the 
phenomena that concur to the accomplishment of the 
act, and by preventing the complete development of 
the spermatozoa, as well as the elaboration of the fluid 
which acts as the vehicle for them. 

"These conditions maybe rapidly altered by the 
simple diminution of the involuntary discharges, and 
fecundation may again become possible. 

u This cannot be the case when infecundity depends 
on malformation of the spermatozoa — such malforma- 
tion arising from permanent alteration in the organs 
that supply them." 

MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF THE SEMEN. 

This is a subject of great interest to every one, and 
of immense importance to the physician and patient. 
The proper mode of pursuing such examinations has 
been so well explained by M. Lallemand that I cannot 
do better than copy his remarks, to which I will add 
here that with good instruments there is no difficulty 
whatever in the process. 

u Microscopic Examination, — Since the discovery of 
the spermatozoa, their presence in the seminal fluid 
has attracted the attention of all who have sought 






EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 239 

means of distinguishing it from other fluids. Micro- 
scopic examination of the spermatozoa, however, not 
only requires an excellent instrument, but certain pre- 
cautions which may be dispensed with in the investi- 
gation of coarser objects. As the spermatic animal- 
cules can be seen only by means of transmitted light, 
it is necessary that the glass on which the fluid to be 
examined is placed should be of uniform thickness, 
and without bubbles or striae. The fluid to be exam- 
ined should be covered by another layer of extremely 
thin glass mad a on purpose, and not by portions of 
mica, which are seldom free from cracks, and never 
perfectly transparent. This thin layer of glass is in- 
dispensable, in order as much as possible to diminish 
the thickness of the fluid, to render it perfectly uniform, 
to hinder evaporation and prevent the object glass from 
being soiled by it. A single drop of fluid suffices for a 
complete observation, a larger quantity always prov- 
ing inconvenient. The little glass that covers the 
liquid must be firmly pressed down so as to spread it out, 
arrest the currents that take place in it, and drive out 
the air bubbles. Although the glasses should seem to 
touch each other the spermatozoa move with perfect 
freedom in the space between them, so long as they 
preserve their energy, and evaporation has not pro- 
ceeded too far : should such be the case, however, a 
drop of tepid water favors and much prolongs their 
motions. However thin the layer of fluid may be, it 
is impossible to comprehend its whole thickness at 
once with a very high power, and it is, therefore, nec- 
essary to alter the focus frequently in order to be sure 
that nothing escapes observation. And this is espe- 
cially important in examining a drop of fluid obtained 
from diurnal pollutions, because there are frequently 
only two or three spermatozoa contained in it. It is 
also necessary to change the position of the reflector fre- 
quently, in order to vary the direction and intensity of 
the light. The spermatozoa are often exceedingly trans- 
parent in cases of disease, and a very bright perpendic- 
ular light is by no means the best for showing them. 



240 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

Varying the density of the fluid under examination, 
either by adding water or by permitting evaporation, is 
also often useful. The semen contains matter furnished 
by the seminal vesicles, the prostate, and the urethra, 
and when the fluid is too thick these matters hide 
the animalcules. A drop of water applied to the edge 
of the covering-glass penetrates underneath it, and the 
spermatozoa are more isolated, at the same time that 
their contour is rendered more defined by the diminu- 
tion in density of the fluid. On the other hand the 
refractive power of the spermatozoa differs little from 
that of the fluid in which they are contained, and their 
thinnest portions are traversed by the light without 
affording any distinct images to the eye. In this case 
there are only seen very small ovoid brilliant globules 
terminated by a little point. As soon as the water be- 
gins to penetrate between the glasses, the rapid mo- 
tion set up prevents the objects from being clearly 
distinguished ; but as soon as rest has been re-estab- 
lished the tails of the animalcules appear, and their 
dimensions seem to have increased in consequence of 
the diminished density of the surrounding fluid — water 
suffices to produce this result. It is more sensible, 
however, when a small quantity of alcohol is added ; but 
the forms of the animalcules are, after a time, altered by 
this agent ; and it is, therefore, advisable to use water 
only when it is intended to keep the preparation. 

" Evaporation sometimes produces not less remarka- 
ble changes in the seminal fluid. I have frequently in 
cases of spermatorrhoea failed to perceive anything in 
the fluid under examination for half an hour, an hour, or 
more ; then suddenly an animalcule has made its ap- 
pearance; then a dozen, and then, perhaps, a hundred 
in the space of a few minutes. The following morn- 
ing, when desiccation has become complete, there are 
no longer any traces of these animalcules, or, at all 
events, J have been only able to distinguish their tails, 
the other parts of them being fixed in the dried-up 
mucus. The absorption of a drop of water has re- 
stored the phenomena observed the night before. 



EXCESSIVE SEMIXAL LOSSES. 24 1 

H These phenomena are easily explained ; when the 
refractive power of the spermatozoa is the same as 
that of the circumambient liquid, the light traverses 
the whole in the same manner, and the mass appears 
homogeneous. But evaporation acts more rapidly on 
the liquid than on the organized bodies contained in 
it; and when the difference of density alters the re- 
fractive power the forms of the spermatozoa are mo- 
mentarily defined, because they have become more 
transparent than the remainder of the fluid. When 
desiccation is complete, however, the animalcules 
again disappear, because the refractive powers of 
mucus and dried animalcules are again equal. The 
absorption of a small quantity of water reproduces the 
same phenomena, which may be repeated almost in- 
definitely, since the matter confined between the two 
layers of glass undergoes no other appreciable alteration. 

"In order to be enabled to discover spermatoza 
quickly in cases of disease, it is necessary that they 
should be well studied in healthy cases. This may be 
accomplished in the following manner : After coitus 
there always remains a sufficient quantity of seminal 
fluid in the urethra to serve for precise and complete 
microscopical examination. This may be obtained by 
pressing the canal shortly after the act, and receiving 
the drop of fluid from the orifice of the glans on a plate 
of glass. In this drop of fluid thousands of animalcules 
may be seen, agitating themselves like so many tad- 
poles in a pool of stagnant water, only that the tails of 
the spermatozoa are relatively longer and thinner, and 
that the head presents a brilliant point near its inser- 
tion. Generally the number of these animalcules pre- 
vents them from being easily examined, and it be- 
comes necessary to spread them out by introducing a 
small quantity of water, and pressing firmly down the 
thin glass that covers them ; they are found most sep- 
arated on the edges of the fluid. If the water added 
be of the temperature of the body their motions be- 
come free and lively, and continue so until cooling 
and evaporation affect them. By avoiding these two 



242 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

causes of disturbance the motions of the spermatozoa 
may be kept up during several hour^. 

" However long a time may have elapsed after coitus 
there are always spermatozoa in the urethra, provided 
they have not been washed away by the passage of 
urine. Although the point of the glans may be quite 
dry, and pressure along the whole length of the canal 
may not produce the least dampness, still, on passing 
urine living animalcules maybe obtained from the first 
drop which escapes. This may be received on the 
glass, and is perhaps the easiest and most natural mode 
of obtaining spermatozoa for microscopic examination. 

" It is evident that the same experiments may be 
applied in the case of nocturnal pollutions as well as in 
all other seminal discharges in whatever manner they 
may occur. But many errors may arise from com- 
mencing with cases of disease, for it is during perfect 
health that the spermatozoa are most active, and their 
development most complete, and they live longer after 
coitus than after any other kind of seminal discharge. 

" Having thus described the means by which my 
microscopic observations may be verified, I proceed to 
show their results. 

"Spermatozoa. — Out of thirty-three bodies which I 
have examined for spermatozoa, I only twice found 
these animalcules in the testicles. In one of these 
cases the patient died from the effects of a fall, on the 
day following it ; in the other acute gastro-enteritis 
was the cause of death. The seminal fluid was most 
abundant, and contained the greatest number of ani- 
malcules in the former case. The other patients died 
of chronic diseases after protracted sufferings. One 
only among them died on the second day of acute per- 
itonitis, but he was seventy-three years of age. In 
thirty-one of these patients the testicles were soft, pale, 
and as though withered. On section they presented a 
grayish aspect, and did not furnish any liquid; the 
structure was almost dry, and contained a few blood- 
vessels ; the secreting canals were easily separated 
from one another and could be spread out under the 



EXCESS1VK SEMINAL, LOSSES. 243 

microscope without breaking. They presented very 
brilliant granules, all of exactly the same appearance, 
about the size of the head of a spermatozoon, ten times 
smaller than corpuscles of blood or mucus, and differ- 
ing from the latter by the constancy and regularity of 
their form. These brilliant bodies, which occupied the 
place of the spermatozoa, are worthy of notice, because 
they offer considerable analogy to the appearances pre- 
sented by the semen under certain circumstances. 

" In order to observe what is present in the secreting 
canals of the testicle, it is necessary to spread out a 
portion of one of them under the microscope ; after 
having examined it dry to allow a drop of water to 
penetrate between the two glasses, and to follow the 
changes which take place ; then to press down the glass 
so as to flatten the parietes of the canal, rupture it, and 
press out a portion of its contents ; lastly, these must 
be examined again when desiccation is complete, for 
the spermatozoa found in the canals are then best seen. 

" In the epididymis I have never found spermatazoa, 
except in the two cases in which they were also found 
in the testicles. In all the others I met with these ani- 
malcules only in the vas deferens or seminal vesicles. 
There were no animalcules at all to be found in the 
patient who died at the age of seventy- three. It has 
always seemed to me that the animalcules were less 
numerous in proportion as the patients had suffered 
long; and in extreme cases I have generally found 
them only in the seminal vesicles. The fewer the 
spermatozoa the more difficult were they of detection 
on account of their extreme transparency. In some 
cases I have only suddenly discovered them after ex- 
amining for an hour or two, the liquid having pre- 
viously appeared quite homogeneous. The dimensions 
were the same as those of the best developed anima- 
cules, but they were pale throughout their whole extent, 
and more transparent than the surrounding fluid. 
Complete dessiccation often caused them to disappear 
altogether ; but the same phenomena could be repro- 
duced by the absorption of a small quantity of water. 



244 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

u In cases of phthisis of the vertebrae, white swelling, 
etc., I have had great difficulty in distinguishing the 
animalcules, probably because these diseases do not 
cause death for a long time. 

' • I have almost always found in the seminal vesicles, 
especially at the bottom of any depression, a thick, 
grumous brilliant matter, varying in its aspect and 
color, but considerably resembling thick paste, and 
more or less transparent ; with a high power the gran- 
ules of this matter appear large, irregular, more or less 
opaque, and without any constant shape. They are 
evidently the products of the internal membrane of the 
vesicles, for they are found with similar characters in 
the accessory vesicles of the hedgehog, rat, etc., which 
never contain seminal animalcules, and do not com- 
municate directly with the vasa deferentia, which, again, 
never contain any similar substance. This matter is, 
therefore, analagous to that secreted by the prostatic 
follicles, Cowper's glands, etc. Its functions are the 
same, and for many reasons it merits special attention. 

" The secretion of semen diminishes in all serious 
diseases, and seminal evacuations become very rare, 
especially towards the last. It is not, therefore, aston- 
ishing that the products of the mucous membrane pre- 
dominate in such patients over those of the testicles, 
and that such mucus should become more consistent 
during its long residence in the depressions of the vesi- 
cles. Hence, the difference observable between the 
semen obtained from the vesicles after death, and that 
which is passed by a healthy person. Nevertheless, 
after long-continued continence, more or less large 
granules are often seen in the semen of a healthy per- 
son, and these are perfectly distinct from the fluid part. 
When the emissions are more frequent granules of the 
same kind may be observed, but much smaller. These 
facts are important when applied to explain several 
symptoms of diurnal pollutions. 

' 4 1 have already stated that, on causing the patients 
to make water in a bath, the semen passed may be 
easily recognized by means of its globules which whirl 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES, 245 

about in the middle of the cloud formed towards the 
close of micturition. From what we have just seen it 
is evident that these globules come from the internal 
membrane ' of the seminal vesicles. They may be 
wanting in very severe cases where the semen has no 
time to acquire consistence ; but their presence leaves 
no doubt as to the existence of diurnal pollutions, be- 
cause they can only be furnished by the seminal vesi- 
cles. On the other hand, I have invariably found 
spermatozoa in the urine of patients who observed this 
phenomenon in the bath. The same remarks hold 
good when applied to the globules which the urine 
deposits in certain cases of diurnal pollutions, and 
which have been compared by some to grains of bran, 
by others to millet seed, pearl barley, etc., according 
to their size. These globules are perceived as soon as 
the urine is passed, they are roundish, very soft, and do 
not give any sensation when squeezed between the 
finger and thumb ; they cannot, therefore, be con- 
founded with urinary salts which are deposited only 
when the urine has cooled, have a crystalline form, 
and give the sensation of a hard body to the finger. 
The vesical mucus also is deposited only on cooling, 
and does not furnish brilliant granules. As to pus, its 
appearance is easily determined. I have found animal- 
cules whenever these globules appeared in the urine ; 
and hence it is that I have pointed them out as cer- 
tain signs of diurnal pollutions. 

" I have also noticed that, in some cases, the urine, 
when held against the light, presents in the middle of 
a flocculent cloud multitudes of quite characteristic 
brilliant points. These are smaller, and, consequently, 
lighter globules than those which in other patients fall 
to the bottom of the vessel. They are neither observed 
in the mucus of the bladder nor in the prostatic fluid, 
which alone presents clouds analagous to those of 
diurnal pollutions. Such brilliant points also arise 
from the seminal vesicles, and their presence is, there- 
fore, an indication that the urine contains semen. This 
I have often verified with the microscope. I should, 



246 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

however, warn those who wish to repeat my experi- 
ments, that it is not in the midst of the flocculent cloud 
that the zoosperms are to be sought, but at the bottom 
of the vessel, to which they soon fall on account of their 
greater specific gravity. The results of all my observ- 
ations on the dead subjects, therefore, convince me of 
the influence of serious and long-continued diseases on 
the functions of the spermatic organs. But it is not 
only in the morbid state that these experience great 
variations ; remarkable differences may exist between 
healthy individuals not only in the quantity of semen 
secreted in a given time, but also in the number, ap- 
pearance, and dimensions of the spermatozoa. In this 
respect I have observed differences amounting to a 
third, and in some cases, to half. The comparison is 
very easy established. When the semen is kept under 
a thin glass, as I have before described, it is not in 
danger of undergoing any changes, and may be 
always, by the addition of a drop of water, compared 
with a recent specimen. 

" Notwithstanding the facility with which nocturnal 
pollutions may be recognized, I have submitted the 
semen collected after them, by individuals in various 
conditions of health, to microscopic examination. At 
first, when the evacuations are still rare, and the semen 
preserves its ordinary characteristics, the animalcules 
do not present any remarkable divergences in regard 
to their number, dimensions, etc. ; but when the dis- 
ease has reached a sufficient degree of gravity to af- 
fect the rest of the system the semen becomes more 
liquid, and the spermatic animalcules less developed 
and less lively. Their number, however, does not as 
yet sensibly diminish ; indeed, in some cases, it seems 
increased. As the disorder advances the erections 
diminish, the semen becomes more watery, and the 
animalcules are often a fourth or a third less than nat- 
ural, and the tail is often distinguished with difficulty 
under a power of three hundred diameters. At a still 
later period the animalcules become fewer, and in two 
individuals in the last sta^e of the affection the semen 






EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 247 

no longer contained animalcules, although it retained 
its characteristic smell. Examined with high powers, 
and every proper precaution, I only found, in this se- 
men, brilliant globules, all exactly alike, and about the 
same size as the head of a spermatozoon. 

"The microscopic examinations which I have made 
of semen passed during efforts at stool give analogous 
results. When such discharges only take place acci- 
dentally and at long intervals, the semen is thick, 
whitish, impregnated with a powerful smell, and abun- 
dantly furnished with well-developed animalcules. I 
have sometimes even found a few alive after an hour 
or two. But when these discharges become so fre- 
quent or habitual as to constitute disease, they become 
less abundant and the semen loses its normal proper- 
ties. The spermatozoa are generally smaller than in 
the healthy condition, and always less lively. I have 
some preparations in which they are only of half the 
ordinary size, and I have never been able to find a sin- 
gle living animalcule a few minutes after the fluid had 
been expelled. When the disease has become much 
aggravated the spermatozoa become rare, and they are 
sometimes replaced by ovoid or spherical globules sim- 
ilar to those of which I have already spoken. In three 
patients in an extreme state of disease I found nothing 
else, although they passed as much as a dessert spoon- 
ful of semen at each stool. Such cases, however, are 
exceedingly rare. 

" In diurnal pollutions, happening during the pas- 
sage of urine, the following means may be employed to 
show the presence of spermatozoa. 

" The urine should first be filtered in a conical filter, 
when, on account of their weight, the greater number 
of the spermatozoa will remain on the lowest part of 
the paper. By taking th.j portion and turning it up- 
side down in a watch-glass containing a few drops of 
water the animalcules become detached from the paper 
by degrees, and fall to the bottom of the fluid in the 
glass. After twenty-four hours maceration in this po- 
sition the paper may be taken away, and the sperma- 



248 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

tozoa maybe readily obtained by using a drop from the 
bottom of the fluid in the watch-glass for examination. 
This mode of procedure is a sure one, but it requires 
considerable time and trouble for its performance. I 
have already stated that the urine does not always con- 
tain spermatozoa in cases of diurnal pollutions ; there- 
fore, the urine of the same individual would, perhaps, 
require examination on many occasions before the cer- 
tainty of their presence could be established, and few 
medical men in active practice have time to devote to 
such experiments. I, for one, should have long since 
given up treating these patients had I been obliged to 
repeat in every case such long and tiresome examina- 
tions. Ten days, or a fortnight, are sometimes passed 
without the appearance of spermatozoa in the urine, 
and hence ail who are accustomed to miscroscopic 
researches will admit the indefinite amount of trouble 
and time required. 

" Fortunately, however, there is a more simple 
method by which such examinations may be con- 
ducted. It will be recollected that the semen always 
escapes either with the last drops of urine, or immedi- 
ately, or soon afterwards. By directing the patient, 
therefore, to compress the urethra immediately after 
micturating, and to receive the drop of fluid pressed 
out on a piece of glass, sufficient animalcules will be 
obtained from the walls of the urethra for microscopic 
observation. These being covered with a thin lamella 
of glass may be either at once placed under the mi- 
croscope, or may be allowed to dry, and examined at 
a future time, a drop of water being previously added. 
This mode of examination is, therefore, easy for all 
practitioners who possess a good microscope, after they 
have accustomed themselves to the inspection of the 
spermatozoa in their natural state. The changes which 
I have mentioned as occurring in the semen must be 
borne in mind, however, and the animalcules must not 
be expected to appear either so large, so well defined, 
or so numerous as in cases where there is no disease. ' ' 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 249 



TREATMENT OF SPERMATORRHOEA. 

In treating Spermatorrhoea there are two things 
necessary to be ascertained : first, the primary exciting 
cause ; and, secondly, the existing cause, if such there 
be, that keeps up the disease. Most usually we dis- 
cover that masturbation has been indulged in, or that 
the patient has been addicted to excess, and it is, of 
course, necessary that such evil practices be immedi- 
ately and totally abandoned, before any improvement 
can be hoped for. Next we must see if there be any 
skin disease, piles, constipation, worms, gravel, or 
any other cause that may keep up the irritation, and 
when this has been removed the actual treatment of 
the parts themselves may begin. This treatment must 
consist in the application of those means best calcu- 
lated to remove the irritability or relaxation existing in 
the ducts and seminal vesicles, and to give tone to the 
Testes. So long as the ducts and vesicles retain their 
irritability, or remain open, the semen must necessa- 
rily escape, and it becomes therefore absolutely requi- 
site to remove such disability, and to restore to them 
that power of contraction which they possess in a 
heahhy state. 

In some recent cases very simple treatment will 
suffice. If the patient leaves off all bad habits, 
avoids constipation, attends carefully to his diet, takes 
no stimulants either in food or drink, and carefully 
bathes himself in cold water round the parts, night 
and morning, a decided improvement will often be ex- 
perienced. He must, however, avoid all excitement 
of the mind or feelings, never over-fatigue himself, and 
not lie in bed after he is awake in the morning. — 
These directions are more especially applicable to those 
incipient cases common among young men, when the 
emission takes place at night, usually in consequence 
of a dream. It will usually be found in such cases that 
the loss occurs towards the morning, and most fre- 
quently when the patient is half asleep and half awake, 



250 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES, 

a state which is very apt to produce sexual excitement. 
Many young men have told me that they never had 
an involuntary erection except at such times, and that 
if they ever remained in that half dreamy condition 
it was nearly certain to occur. However disagreea- 
ble it may be, therefore, the patient must rise immedi- 
ately he is awake, unless it be too early, and he feels 
confident he can go sound to sleep again. Many per- 
sons, whenever they awake and feel any tendency to 
erection, always rise and urinate, or, if much ex- 
cited, also bathe themselves in cold water, and then 
lie down again, and by these means escape the emis- 
sion. A full Bladder of urine alone will often keep 
up erection, and cause a loss. It is particularly impor- 
tant, also, that late suppers should be avoided, and 
that no coffee should be drunk, and no tobacco used. 
This is very necessary, for many of my patients as- 
sure me that a single cigar, towards bed-time, will en- 
sure an emission in spite of all the precautions they 
can take. 

If all young men were to observe these precau- 
tions habitually they would seldom be troubled with 
involuntary emissions at all, because the parts would 
be so strengthened, and all irritation so promptly sub- 
dued, that it would scarcely ever arise except as kn 
after effect of excessive abuse, or masturbation. The 
remarks which I formerly made as to the importance 
of regular occupation, both for body and mind, are 
also particularly applicable here, there being no doubt 
but that idleness very much predisposes to all these 
evils. 

Internal medication is not always needed, nor bene- 
ficial ; but unfortunately most persons think the con- 
trary, and this great and fatal error is often the means 
of perpetuating the disease. Men think, when they 
are afflicted with involuntary emission, that it is only 
necessary to take certain drugs to be made well again. 
They accordingly either allow the evil to go on till it 
becomes incurable before they do anything at all, or 
else they rely upon the medicine alone and neglect all 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 251 

other means. The consequence is that they obtain no 
relief from what they have taken, and find that the 
time has been uselessly lost during which a cure was 
possible. I do not hesitate to say that any man, by 
observing the simple advice already given, will be 
more benefited without any medical treatment what- 
ever, than he can be by the best he can receive if that 
advice be neglected. It is true that a little medication 
is often needed, and beneficial; but it is not of a 
specific character, or adapted to all alike, but must be 
varied according to circumstances, and in all cases it 
should be regarded merely as assisting, and not as be- 
ing capable of curing alone. It is more especially when 
there is gravel or considerable irritation of the urethra 
and bladder that good can be done by medication, 
and even then it is of a simple character. If there is 
any heat and burning when the urine is discharged, 
with a discharge of thin mucus at the beginning of 
the flow, the following pills will be beneficial : 

fy. Balsam of Copaiva, two drachms; Magnesia, 
seven grains. To be made into pills of four grains 
each, of which two may be taken three or four times a 
day. 

If the urine is high colored, and deposits a red sedi- 
ment upon the sides of the vessel, indicating gravel, 
the following powders will be better. 

P>i. Dried Bearberry leaves {Uvce Ursi) one drachm 
and a half; Bicarbonate of Soda, one drachm. Mix 
them and divide into twelve powders, of which one 
may be taken three times a day in water. 

These powders are also excellent when there is sim- 
ply irritation of the bladder, causing a frequent desire 
to urinate. For this particular trouble it is also advi- 
sable to drink but little, and never to use hot fluids of 
any kinds, nor spices, wines, spirits, or coffee. A 
little gum arabic is useful, kept in the pocket and 
swallowed occasionally during the day. 

There are few cases in which these means will not 
at least give some relief, even if they do not cure, but 
it may not be immediate. This is a fact that should 



UOJ EXCESSIVE SKMIXAL LOSSES. 

be borne in mind, so that discouragement should 
not be felt because the good is not experienced at 
once. The disease, it should be remembered, has 
nearly always existed a long time and has assumed a 
chronic form, so that it can only be successfully at- 
tacked in a gradual manner by slowly producing a 
change in the action of the parts. 

Nevertheless, I have known many benefited almost 
immediately, and very often I hear the remark, that in 
one week from the time of commencing the treatment, 
the emissions decreased one half in frequency. To 
ascertain the extent of the improvement, and as a 
guide to the physician, every one afflicted in this way 
should keep a diary, or date the times when the emis- 
sions occur, so that it, can be seen whether they are 
really decreasing in frequency or not. 

One of the best means for applying cold water, both 
for the purpose of strengthening the genitals and also 
for relieving constipation, is by means of what is 
termed the ascending douche ; that is by a stream or 
jet directed upwards. This must be made to play 
forcibly on the Perineum, and against the Anus, by 
the patient sitting over the jet. The effects of this 
treatment, after a time, are often strikingly beneficial. 
I have known patients who had previously never 
passed a night without emissions, remain for two 
weeks without experiencing anything of the kind; and 
I have known the most obstinate constipation, in some 
instances of near three weeks' duration, completely 
cured by it in less than a month. It is in fact one of the 
most valuable remedies we possess in the treatment of 
Spermatorrhoea, and has cured more than, perhaps, 
all other means put together. Those who cannot em- 
ploy a proper apparatus may use a large and power- 
ful syringe, bent at right angles, so that the jet can 
be thrown up against the Perineum, Scrotum, and 
Anus. It should be used morning and night, for 
about five minutes. The man mentioned in the last 
article, who had been impotent for nine years, owed 
his cure to this cold douche. I have often found noth- 






EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 253 

ing else necessary, even in very bad cases, except 
proper attention to the diet and regimen. 

In case of worms in the rectum, which often keep 
up Spermatorrhoea by their irritation, there are few 
things that succeed better in dislodging them, and 
subduing the irritation, than enemas of cold water. 
These seem to paralyze the worms, so that they loose 
their hold and are expelled with the fluid as it returns. 
They also cool and give tone to all the neighboring 
parts in a very marked manner, and are, in short, valu- 
able remedies in the treatment of Spermatorrhoea. In 
some instances they will cause erections from the very 
first, though the person may have previously been 
almost impotent. 

When the loss evidently occurs more from general 
weakness than from irritation, the plan of treatment 
must be someAvhat varied. Warm bathing may then 
be advised, with a generous diet of meat and wines, 
and the occasional administration of tonics and bitters. 
Galvanism is also of very great service in many of 
these cases of debility, applied directly to the parts, or 
to them and the spine. It will frequently impart a feel- 
ing of warmth and vigor from the very first, and restore 
the natural powers sooner than almost anything else. 
The patient should, however, be particularly cautioned 
not to use any of the stimulating medicines, cordials, 
and tonics so urgently recommended for this debility. 
These are mostly composed of Spanish flies , or Phos- 
phorus, and are very hurtful, though they may appear 
to do good for a time. 

Several of the mineral waters are highly useful in 
Spermatorrhoea, especially those that contain iron. 
And those that contain sulphur are also of service 
when used as baths. 

When there is any considerable nervous irritability, 
with restlessness, loss of sleep, or bad dreams, a nar- 
cotic may be of service. A few drops of laudanum 
may be taken at bed-time, or some of the camphor ' 
and opium pills, directed in a former article. If the 
stomach cannot bear opium it may be given as ah 



254 EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 

enema, either by putting a few drops of laudanum in 
some starch-water, or by using a decoction of poppy- 
heads. Some patients even introduce an opium pill, 
containing one grain, into the rectum at bed-time, and 
leave it there till morning. This will frequently pre- 
vent emission, but is apt to act too strongly on some 
persons. From 20 to 40 grains of Bromide of Potassa 
may also be taken at bed-time, in a half tumbler of 
water, with good effect. 

Occasionally, setons are of service, placed inside the 
thighs, or acupuncture with needles; but these must 
always be directed and applied by the physician. 

The position in bed is frequently of some conse- 
quence in very irritable persons, and should be at- 
tended to. There is no doubt but that lying on the 
back is very apt to cause pollution, by the heat it pro- 
duces in the loins, and sometimes it will continue it 
notwithstanding everything else that can be done. 
So well aware are some persons of this, that they in- 
vent peculiar contrivances to prevent them ever resting 
on the back, even for a moment. One of my patients 
used to wear a broad leather belt at night, with spikes 
on the inside behind, so that if he turned on his back 
while asleep, these hurt him and waked him up. 
Another wore a pointed piece of wood, so adjusted 
that he could not turn on his back at all, and by 
these means he avoided the emissions that used to 
occur almost nightly. Sometimes it is sufficient to 
merely sleep upon a hard mattress, with a piece of 
oiled-silk, or india-rubber cloth under, to keep the 
parts cool ; or, what is still better, a sheet of lead may 
be tied over the back and loins when retiring. I have 
known some patients speak very highly of the effects 
of this metallic shield. 

When there is decided irritation of the genital or- 
gans, manifested by redness at the end of the penis, 
burning when making water, and mucus discharge 
from the urethra, it becomes of the first moment to 
prescribe a proper diet, consisting chiefly of milk. 
This should be used freely, both as food and drink, 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 1SDD 

either thickened with rice, isinglass, or eggs, or 
even with gum-arabic. The beneficial effects of this 
article will soon be evident in the decrease of all the 
inflammatory symptoms. Very little meat must be 
used with it, but plenty ot potatoes, which are not only 
nutritious, but have also a decidedly good effect on 
the urine. Some fruits are very excellent, particu- 
larly strawberries and ripe peaches, and so are toma- 
toes, but any very acid ones are objectionable. If the 
milk disagrees with the stomach a little, which it will 
sometimes do, a few grains of magnesia may be added 
to it, or two or three spoonfuls of lime-water, which 
will generally correct all such tendency. The copaiva 
and magnesia pills may also be used, or the powders 
of bearberry leaves, as formerly directed. Wines, 
coffee, spices, and spirits must be rigidly avoided in all 
such cases, and in fact every kind of excitement, as far 
as possible. 

Cauterization, — This is a process adapted only to 
extreme cases, and when all other modes of treatment 
fail. To understand how it operates, the action of 
caustic, when applied medicinally, must be borne in 
mind. If we have any diseased surface, such as an 
open ulcer, or an inflammed mucous membrane, the 
caustic not only burns off that diseased surface, but by 
its energetic action so alters the condition of the parts 
that the disease is frequently removed altogether. This 
is why it is applied to all virulent sores, and to in- 
flammed sore throats, eyelids, and other parts. Now in 
confirmed cases of Spermatorrhoea there is always either 
a relaxed or an inflamed condition of the Ducts, Ure- 
thra, or Vas Deferens, and it is evident that if the 
caustic can be applied to them, in a proper and effi- 
cient manner, it will in all probability affect tfiem in 
the same way that it does other parts when similarly 
diseased. The great difficulty, however, is to apply it 
in the situation required. The ducts being placed at 
the bottom of the urethra, completely out of sight by 
any means, and with great difficulty ever reached, it 
becomes a question as to how they are to be operated 



256 EXCESSIVE SEMIXAL LOSSES. 

upon. This has been decided, however, by M. Lalle- 
mand, who invented an instrument which enables us 
to apply the caustic to the ejaculatory ducts, with 
almost as much certainty as to any place on the ex- 
terior. This instrument consists of a silver tube, open 
at the end, and adapted to the size of the passage, 
down the inside of which passes a kind of piston, fur- 
nished at the end with a piece of lunar caustic. When 
the tube is introduced into the urethra the caustic is 
contained inside of it ; but when the open end of the 
tube has reached the ducts, the piston, with the caustic 
on it, is pushed out a little way for a moment, and, 
of course, burns the surrounding parts ; it is then 
drawn back into the tube, and the whole apparatus is 
immediately abstracted. By these means the ducts, 
the mouths of the prostatic vessels, and the neck of 
the bladder are effectually cauterized without any 
of the other parts being touched. The performance 
of this operation is certainly a little difficult, and re- 
quires great manual skill, with an intimate knowledge 
of the structure of the parts. An unskilful person, 
who could not properly manage the instrument, or not 
judge correctly of the proper distance to introduce it, 
might not only fail of doing good, but even do harm. 
Great mischief may also be caused by letting the 
caustic remain too long, and burning too much, or by 
acting only on the healthy parts and leaving the dis- 
eased ones untouched. In short, though the operation 
is frequently of the greatest benefit, when properly 
performed, and capable of effecting a complete cure in 
some very bad cases, it is also exceedingly dangerous 
when improperly performed, as too many know. Not 
only may the irritation be made much worse, but the 
most severe inflammation may follow from it, so as 
to prevent the discharge of urine, and lead to ab- 
scesses and ulcers of the most incurable kind. Even 
in successful cases, and under the most favorable cir- 
cumstances, great distress is nearly always experienced, 
and the pain is not unfrequently very severe. Many 
persons are much alarmed, and even though greatly 



EXCESSIVE SEMINAL LOSSES. 257 

benefited, cannot bring their mind to submit a second 
time to it. 

In general, however, one operation is sufficient; 
and when a repetition is required, it should seldom be 
under six weeks or two months after. I have seen 
patients in a miserable state who had been cauter- 
ized too frequently, and with too short intervals, and 
possibly cauterization has, on the whole, done more 
evil than good. The discovery of certain new reme- 
dies, and improved modes of treatment, enable us now 
to dispense with it altogether, except in some very rare 
cases. It is, at present, very seldom resorted to. 

The great requisite, in the cure of Spermatorrhoea, 
is the abandonment of all bad habits ; for, if they are 
persisted in, no treatment will be of much use. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

THE INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES IN PRODUCING AND 
CURING IMPOTENCE AND SPERMATORRHCEA. 

THERE are a few medicinal substances that act in a 
direct manner upon the genital organs, some benefi- 
cially and others hurtfully, but the greater number 
operate upon them indirectly. This is a subject about 
which there is great ignorance, as I before stated, and 
an immense deal of imposition and pretension. It has 
always been a favorite notion with the public that 
there are specific medicines capable of arousing the 
sexual ardor under almost any circumstances. From 
this notion has originated all the various cordials, 
stimulants, and elixirs that are constantly pressed upon 
the attention of the impotent and sterile. None of 
these things are in the slightest degree capable of ac- 
complishing what is promised of them, as well-informed 
people are aware, but the public generally are deceived 
and much injured thereby. There is no doubt but 
that an immense deal of disease and incurable impo- 
tence is caused by the use of these preparations, and 
much good will result from cautioning the public 
against them. 

It is not only the action of those drugs that may be 
beneficial that we have to study, however, but also 
those that may be hurtful, and among them will be 
found many that few persons have suspected of having 
any influence on the genital organs at all. Purga- 
tives, for instance, are popularly thought to act only 
on the bowels, and not to influence sexual vigor at all, 
but the fact is they often exert a very marked influence 
in that way. It is well known that aloes, gamboge, 
colocynth, and several other purgatives irritate the 
bowels very much, and this irritation may be extended 

258 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 259 

to the neighboring parts, particularly near the rectum, 
and in this way they excite the flow of urine in some 
persons, by irritating the bladder, as well as operate 
upon the bowels. Now the spermatic ducts and pros- 
tate gland lie close to the rectum, and of course are 
subjected to this irritation as much as the bladder, and 
are equally liable to become unusually sensitive. I have 
known many persons in fact who always had involun- 
tary emissions when they took purgatives, and who 
were obliged to be exceedingly careful in consequence 
when they did so. When there is any tendency to 
Spermatorrhoea, therefore, the possible effect of pur- 
gatives must be borne in mind, both by the physician 
and patient, and when they are absolutely ■ needed 
those must be chosen that are least irritating to the 
lower part of the bowels. 

Tobacco is an article that exerts a most decided 
action, in numerous cases, upon the generative or- 
gans, though few persons suspect it of doing so. Like 
opium, and some other narcotics, it often stimulates 
at first, but afterwards greatly weakens the sexual 
power, so as to bring on complete impotence in many 
cases. I am satisfied, from my own observations, that 
it frequently leads to involuntary emissions, and keeps 
them up notwithstanding all that can be done for 
them. Many young men, patients of mine, have re- 
marked that a cigar at bed-time would be certainly 
followed by emission before morning, and they found 
it necessary in consequence to abandon its use. It 
is true that these results are not generally seen ex- 
cept the tobacco is used in great quantity ; but there 
are some persons that are affected by a very small por- 
tion. I once saw a young man, a great smoker, who 
suffered from constant pollution, and who had been 
perfectly impotent for five years. He had submitted 
to every kind of treatment, even to cauterization, but 
only obtained temporary relief, and at last totally 
despaired of ever being benefited. On hearing his 
statement, and learning what had been done for him, I 
was much surprised, because there were no indications 



2o0 INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES 

of severe disease, nor were the parts themselves in an 
unhealthy condition, though relaxed, and the Testes 
still secreted perfect semen in considerable quantities. 
During our conversation he accidentally alluded to 
his smoking habits, and said he frequently used from 
two to four dozen cigars a day. I was immediately 
struck with the similarity of his case to that of a great 
opium chewer whom I had seen, and I at once con- 
cluded that the tobacco was the cause of the mis- 
chief. On explaining this to him, he could scarcely 
be brought to think it possible, but eventually agreed 
to follow my advice and gradually leave it off. The 
result even exceeded my expectations, for I was much 
afraid that some permanent mischief had been done. 
He began to mend immediately, and though consider- 
able lowness of spirits, weakness, and loss of sleep was 
experienced at first, yet all these effects ultimately 
passed off and he felt better, and was stronger than 
while using the tobacco. The most marked effect, how- 
ever, was the checking of the Spermatorrhoea. When 
I first saw him he passed semen constantly in his 
urine, and frequently in the night. He had little or 
no erection, and such nervous palpitation of the heart 
occurred, whenever any slight sexual feeling was ex- 
perienced, that he became utterly powerless, and 
would undoubtedly have been impotent from that 
cause alone. This all passed off, the involuntary dis- 
charge ceased, and his sexual powers returned as 
strongly as ever. Contrary to my advice he com- 
menced using the tobacco again, thinking that it 
would now cease to affect him, but in three days all 
the old symptoms returned, and he became as impo- 
tent as ever. On leaving off his smoking,- however, 
he gradually recovered again, though with more diffi- 
culty than at first ', which made me caution him not to 
relapse again, for fear the re-action might eventually 
fail altogether. I have even known married men se- 
riously injured in this way, by merely using tobacco as 
a domestic indulgence. In one instance a gentleman, 
engaged in a somewhat harassing business, was in- 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 281 

duced by a friend to smoke a few cigars at night to 
steady his nerves ! He found, however, that though 
he could readily stupify himself, yet his nerves were no- 
steadier, particularly in the morning, and what was 
most singular, to him, he lost all sexual power and de- 
sire, and became so weak he could scarcely stand. In 
this dilemma he consulted me, and gave me a full 
history of his proceedings and experience. On ex- 
amining his urine I found, as I expected I should, 
that the semen escaped with it, and in such quantities 
that his impotence and weakness were no longer to be 
wondered at. I at once told him to leave off his to- 
bacco, gave him a slight tonic, and directed him to go 
and bathe in the salt water for a few weeks. He did 
so, and returned perfectly cured. 

I could, in fact, give numerous cases, both among 
single and married, showing the effects of this poison- 
ous drug, and I do not hesitate to say that I think it 
has more to do with many of these complaints than has 
been hitherto supposed. 

In the thirteenth Annual Report of the Massachu- 
setts State Lunatic Assylum, are some excellent re- 
marks on the use of tobacco, which, though they are 
intended to apply chiefly to its influence in predisposing 
to insanity, are nevertheless of great general interest, 
and I therefore quote them : 

" Alcohol is not the only narcotic which thus affects 
the brain and nervous system. Opium produces de- 
lirium tremens and probably insanity. Tobacco is a 
powerful narcotic agent, and its use is very deleterious 
to the nervous system, producing tremors, vertigo, 
faintness, palpitation of the heart, and other serious 
diseases. That tobacco certainly produces insanity, I 
am not able positively to observe ; but that it produces 
a predisposition to it, I am fully confident. Its influ- 
ence upon the brain, and nervous system generally, is 
hardly less obvious than that of alcohol, and if used ex- 
cessively is equally injurious. The young are particu- 
larly susceptible to the influence of these narcotics. If 



262 INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 

a young man becomes intemperate before he is twenty 
years of age, he rarely lives to thirty. If a young man 
uses tobacco while the system is greatly susceptible to 
its influence, he will not be likely to escape injurious 
effects that will be developed sooner or later, and both 
diminish the enjoyments of life and shorten its 
period. 

" The very general use of tobacco among young men 
at the present day is alarming, and shows the ignor- 
ance and devotion of the devotees of this dangerous 
practice to one of the most virulent poisons of the veg- 
etable world. The testimony of medical men, of the 
most respectable character, could be quoted to any 
extent to sustain these views of the deleterious influence 
of this dangerous narcotic. 

** Dr. Rush says of Tobacco — i It impairs appetite, 
produces dyspepsia, tremors, vertigo, headache,- and 
epilepsy. It injures the voice, destroys the teeth, 
and imparts to the complexion a disagreeable, dusky 
brown/ 

' 1 Dr. Boerhaave says that ' since the use of to- 
bacco has been so general in Europe, the number of 
hypochondriacal and consumptive complaints has in 
creased by its use.' 

" Dr. Cullen says, ' I have known a small quantity 
snuffed up the nose to produce giddiness, stupor, and 
vomiting. There are many instances of its more vio- 
lent effects, even of its proving a mortal poison, f 

" Dr. Darwin says, 'It produces disease of the sali- 
vary glands and the pancreas, and injures the power 
of digestion by occasioning the person to spit off the 
saliva which he ought to swallow. ' 

" Dr. Tissott once saw the smoking of it prove fatal. 

"Dr. Pilcher details the particulars of a case of a 
medical student whom he had been requested to see. 
4 This gentlemen suffered under all the symptoms of 
phthisis. There was muco-purulent expectoration, 
night sweats, etc. The mucous membrane of the 
throat, epiglottis, and the neighboring parts, was 
coated with a brown fur. The patient had been an 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 263 

immoderate snuff-taker ; he was told to discontinue 
the snuff; he did so, and recovered.' 

' ' Dr. Chapman says, ' By a member of Congress 
from the West, in the meridian of life, and of a very 
stout frame, I was some time since consulted ; he told 
me that, from having been one of the most healthy and 
fearless of men, he had become "sick all over, and 
timid as a girl." He could not even present a petition to 
Congress, much less say a word concerning it, though 
he had long been a practising lawer, and served much 
in legislative bodies. By any ordinary noise he was 
startled or thrown into tremulousness, and afraid to be 
alone at night. His appetite and digestion were gone, 
he had painful sensations at the pit of his stomach, and 
unrelenting constipated bowels. During the narrative 
of his suffering, his aspect approached the haggard 
wildness of mental distemperature. On inquiry, I 
found that his consumption of tobacco was almost 
incredible, by chewing, snuffing, and smoking. Being 
satisfied that all his misery arose from this poisonous 
weed, its use was discontinued, and in a few weeks he 
entirely recovered. ' 

" Distressing as was this case, I have seen others, 
from the same cause, even more deplorable. Two 
young men were in succession brought to me for advice, 
whom I found in a state of insanity, very much re- 
sembling delirum tremens. Each had chewed and 
smoked tobacco to excess, though perfectly temperate 
as regarded drink. The further account given me was, 
' that in early life, adopting this bad practice, it grew 
with their growth. Dyspepsia soon occurred, attended 
by great derangement of the nervous system/ and ulti- 
mately the mania I have mentioned. But I have also 
seen the same condition very speedily induced. 

" Dr. Franklin says he never used it, and never met 
with a man who did use it that advised him to follow 
his example. 

" The venerable John Quincy Adams, in a recent 
letter on the subject, says that in early life he used 
tobacco, but for more than thirty years he had discon- 



264 INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 

tinued the practice. ' I have often wished,' says he, 
i that every individual of the human race, afflicted with 
this artificial passion, would prevail upon himself to try, 
but for three months, the experiment which I have 
made, and am sure it would turn every acre of tobacco- 
land into a wheat-field, and add jive years to the aver- 
age of human life.' 

u Some cases have come under my observation which 
show the injurious effects of tobacco where no evil was 
suspected. 

" A respectable merchant, who abstained wholly 
from ardent spirits, applied to me for advice. He com- 
plained of great weakness, tremor of the limbs and 
joints, with lassitude, general prostration of health, and 
depression of spirits. Knowing that he used tobacco 
freely, I advised him to discontinue it entirely; he 
soon became better, and after a time was wholly re- 
lieved from these disagreeable symptoms. 

" A distinguished clergyman informed me that he 
had been an extravagant snuff-taker ; that for years he 
had had a disagreeable affection of the head, and his 
health was not good. He did not attribute either to 
his use of snuff, but thinking it a filthy habit and a 
growing evil, he resolved to leave it off". He was sur- 
prised to find the difficulty in his head almost imme- 
diately left him, and his general health became quite 
good. 

" A gentleman of athletic frame, and about twenty- 
four years of age, applied to me for advice. He com- 
plained of insufferable faintness and distress of stomach, 
morning-sickness, vomiting, trembling, and prostration 
of strength. He diminished his tobacco considerably, 
and was immediately better, but had not resolution to 
abandon the pernicious practice. 

" In our experience in the Hospital, tobacco in all 
its forms is injurious to the insane. It increases excite- 
ment of the nervous system in many cases, deranges 
the stomach, and produces vertigo, tremors, and stupor 
in others. It is difficult to control its use with the 
insane, and though considerable suffering comes from 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 265 

its entire abandonment, it cannot be generally allowed 
with safety. 

" One patient, while at labor, found a quantity of 
tobacco, and hid it in his bed. He used it freely, became 
sick, lost his appetite, and confined himself to his 
bed completely intoxicated. After some days diligent 
search was made, and a store of tobacco was found in 
his straw-bed ; when this was removed he almost im- 
mediately recovered, and in a few days was as well as 
before. 

"A person who came into the Hospital a furious 
maniac, soon became calm and improved favorably. 
He labored in the field with propriety, and exhibited 
every indication of a favorable convalesence. Suddenly, 
without any apparent cause, he again became very 
violent and insane. It was soon discovered that he had 
in some way obtained tobacco. After he ceased to use 
it, he again became calm and convalescent. 

" An aged lady was brought to us very insane. The 
practice of her friends for some time had been to give 
her ardent spirits to intoxicate her at night, and to- 
bacco and snuff, in unlimited quantity, for the day. 
All these were withdrawn at once ; her sufferings for 
some days were great ; but after a time she became 
calm, and got better as soon as the influence of this 
excitement was over. 

'* I have already exceeded my intended limits in the 
detail of cases. 

" It is very natural to suppose that an article possess- 
ing the active properties of this fascinating narcotic, 
should produce most deleterious effects upon health — 
particularly upon the brain and nervous system. 

" The uninitiated cannot smoke a cigar, or use to- 
bacco in any form, without unpleasant effects, — how 
then can it be possible that a poison so active can be 
used with impunity? The stomach and brain, sub- 
jected to such influences, will become diseased, and 
show their effects as certainly as if alcohol were used. If 
asked my medical opinion, which was safest, four 
glasses of wine or four quids of tobacco, daily, I should 



266 INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 

say unhesitatingly the wine. Of the two evils, this 
would, in my opinion, be the least. Tobacco is the 
strongest, most dangerous narcotic — the habit of its 
use is the strongest and most difficult to overcome, and 
the influence felt from it most baneful and destructive to 
health." 

. Dr. McDougal says that many of his friends, invet- 
erate smokers, have remarked to him that a decrease 
of their sexual desires was one of the marked effects 
of their indulgence, and I have frequently been told 
the same. M. Lallemand also gives several instructive 
cases in which this fact is forcibly illustrated. The fol- 
lowing is a counterpart of many that I see : — ' 

" I have a young man of very nervous temperament 
at present under my care, in whom nocturnal and diur- 
nal pollutions have brought on pain in the loins, pal- 
pitation, difficulty of breathing, etc., symptoms which 
were supposed to arise from disease of the spinal cord, 
cardiac affection, and commencing phthisis. Among 
the exciting causes of these involuntary discharges, the 
effects of smoking occupy the chief place. The follow- 
ing is the patient's statement : 

" ' At twenty years of age I wished to accustom my- 
self to smoking ; but a day never passed without my 
experiencing complete intoxication, attended with vom- 
iting, vertigo, and trembling of the limbs. I continued 
the habit, however, and I soon began to perceive that 
my sight became weak, and that I lost my memory ; 
my hands shook, and my digestion became much dis- 
ordered. I noticed, also, great debility of the genital 
organs; my erections ceased; and at the age of 
twenty- two I found myself completely impotent.' 

' ■ This patient had rarely practised masturbation, 
and had never committed any excess when he first be- 
gan to smoke ; his health had, previously, been excel- 
lent. It is, therefore, evident that the impotence, as 
well as the other symptoms, arose from the action of 
tobacco. Impotence at the age of twenty-two can only 
be produced by involuntary seminal discharges, pro- 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 267 

vided there be no physical disability. In the present 
case there was no doubt on the point, the patient 
himself having discovered diurnal and nocturnal pol- 
tions. 

1 ■ The action of tobacco on those who smoke for the 
first time is too well known to require description; more 
or less disorder of all the functions, varying according 
to the constitution of the individual, invariably arises 
from it; and this disorder always presents more or less 
of the characteristics of poisoning by narcotics. These 
effects go off by degrees, as the patient becomes habit- 
uated to the use of tobacco, and generally after a time 
cease to be manifested at all. Some nervous and ex- 
citable individuals are unable to accustom themselves 
to the habit, as in the case just mentioned ; in others, 
again, smoking becomes an artificial habit, which in 
many cases is almost a necessity. 

' ' But this empire of custom has its limits, beyond 
which the narcotic influence reappears. In such as are 
not easily affected this acquired habit is generally sup- 
ported with impunity ; but even then, if it be indulged 
in to excess, it must after a time be injurious. Thus it 
is that the most accomplished smokers often experience 
vertigo, cephalalgia, anorexia, etc., when they have re- 
mained long in an atmosphere densely filled with smoke, 
which is then drawn into the lungs, and probably pro- 
duces worse effects than when merely drawn into the 
mouth, or swallowed, as in smoking. 

" In a word, then, if the power of habit can prevent 
the momentary effects of smoking from showing them- 
selves, the frequent repetition of the use of tobacco 
produces more lasting effects on different organs. Dis- 
order of the digestive organs is well known as occur- 
ring in inveterate smokers ; that of the genital organs 
has not hitherto been noticed. [Many inveterate 
smokers among my professional friends have mentioned 
to me the diminution of their venereal desires as one of 
the effects of tobacco. I believe, however, that it is 
by no means rare. H. J. McD.]" 



268 INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 

Opium acts similarly to tobacco, but much more 
fatally, the exhaustion caused by it being much less 
readily recovered from. In fact, if a man once becomes 
impotent from using opium it is a great chance if he 
ever recovers his powers. 

Cantharides, or Spanish Flies. This article is popu- 
larly supposed to have an undoubted stimulating effect 
upon the sexual powers, and many persons will be sur- 
prised to learn how little foundation there is for such a 
belief. In fact, upon most persons Cantharides have 
but little or no effect at all in that way ; except they 
are given in such quantity as to be poisonous, and then 
they only act by causing severe inflammation, not only 
of the genitals, but also in all the neighboring parts. 
It is quite common for even a small dose to create 
great irritation of the bladder, with complete inability to 
discharge the urine, and this may take place without any 
unusual sexual excitement at all, though most usually 
the generative organs are stimulated more or less. — It 
is a great mistake, therefore, to suppose that Canthar- 
ides have a constant and specific action on the sexual 
organs, for they merely create an intense irritation, 
which affects these organs along with others, in the 
same way that many other irritant poisons do. — All the 
popular notions on this subject are utterly unfounded, 
and quite opposed to the truth. 

It is very seldom that Cantharides are of any service 
whatever in the treatment of Impotence or Sperma- 
torrhoea, though a combination of these with other 
articles is useful in certain cases. They are a common 
ingredient in many quack stimulants for the generative 
organs, and the use of them in this way unfortunately 
causes great mischief. Numbers of young men are 
permanently ruined from Spermatorrhoea, through tak- 
ing these preparations of Cantharides ; and I have 
known many married persons rendered hopelessly 
sterile from using them as stimulants. I had one dis- 
tressing case of a young man, who was persuaded by a 
thoughtless friend to take some Spanish Flies as an ex- 
periment, to see if they would not increase his desires 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 269 

and powers. The quantity he took was only a moder- 
ate dose, but the effects were most alarming. He com- 
pletely lost all power of discharging the urine, though 
the Bladder was full almost to bursting, and experi- 
enced such agonizing pain in the prostate and urethra 
that he was nearly delirious. Priapism took place ; 
but, so far from being attended by increased pleasure, 
it added to his sufferings, and yet he could not pre- 
vent it. Fortunately he had timely assistance, and the 
immediate danger was obviated; but immediately 
after he began to be troubled with involuntary emis- 
sions in the night, and eventually when urinating, so 
that he became completely impotent, and so weak he 
could scarcely stand. I used every means the case 
would allow ; but, in spite of all, the trouble continued 
to some extent, and probably always will. He had 
been suffering, however, over four years when I saw 
him. 

I also had a case of a young person of the other sex, 
who was seriously injured by Cantharides, given as a 
trick, and who had involuntary discharge of urine ever 
afterwards. 

Camphor. — The action of Camphor upon the genital 
organs is sedative rather than stimulant, and when 
taken improperly or in excess, it may almost entirely 
destroy the sexual feeling, at least for a time. It is, 
therefore, given in cases of priapism, and in excessive 
excitement from any cause. If Cantharides or any other 
irritating poison be taken, Camphor is usually a valu- 
able palliative, and it is sometimes of great service in 
certain forms of Spermatorrhoea. If taken in too large 
doses, however, or for too long a time, it will cause in- 
voluntary emission. 

Nitrate of Potash, or Saltpetre. — It is commonly 
supposed that this substance acts as a direct sedative 
to the sexual organs, and that if taken in any consider- 
able quantity it will destroy all feeling; but this no- 
tion is a very erroneous one. Like all other diuretics 
Nitre stimulates the Genital Organs, and if taken in 
too large doses it will even produce inflammation, like 



270 INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 

Cantharides. Instances have been known where a dis- 
charge from the urethra, like that of Gonorrhoea, has 
followed its use, and afterward involuntary emissions 
have been experienced. 

Ergot of Rye, or Secale Cornutum. — This substance, 
as is well known, is used to expedite delivery in fe- 
males, which it does by increasing the action of the 
womb. Its use, however, is dangerous except in prop- 
er hands. From recent observations it appears to 
stimulate the male organs also, and the men of 
those parts where it grows among the rye are noted 
for their ardent desires, while the females frequently 
miscarry. The Ergot cannot be given alone, either 
with safety or advantage; but its combination with 
other articles forms a valuable remedy, both for im- 
potence and for spermatorrhoea. . 

Coffee and Tea— Both these articles, but especially 
coffee, act as direct stimulants to the generative organs, 
and if taken in excess may produce all the effects of 
the most powerful drugs. I have known coffee cause 
priapism, lascivious dreams, and involuntary emissions, 
and nearly always its continued use will counteract 
any treatment that can be followed for relief. 

Phosphorus, — This article is similar in its action to 
cantharides, but is much more energetic, and conse- 
quently it is much more dangerous in wrong hands; 
but when properly administered it is frequently of great 
service. Phosphorus should, however, never be ex- 
perimented with by those not familiar with its action, 
for in some cases it will lead to the most disastrous 
consequences, and its evil effects are not easily recover- 
ed from. 

Aromatics and Spices, — These have in general a 
stimulating effect on the generative organs, the same 
as on other parts; but their power varies very much in 
different persons, and under different circumstances. 
There are various spice mixtures and combinations in 
popular use for this purpose, but they should not be 
indiscriminately used. Sometimes they are highly in- 
jurious, like all other stimulants, and even when they 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 271 

do cause an increase of power or feeling, it is only 
temporary, and often followed by directly opposite ef- 
fects. 

In short, none of these articles operate specifically, in 
a beneficial manner, on the generative organs, though 
certain combinations of them may do so under parti- 
cular circumstances. 

There is one drug brought from the East Indies, the 
Cannabis Indica, which is the most regular in its ac- 
tion, and produces the most constant beneficial effects 
of anything yet tried. It appears to act as a special 
nervous stimulant, exciting that part of the brain which 
influences the sexual organs, so that they feel directly 
an increase of power. It also causes great mental activ- 
ity, disposes to cheerfulness, and induces a feeling of 
warmth and comfort over the whole system. Those 
who have taken it in a proper manner are delighted 
with its effects, and never complain of any after-de- 
pression, or reaction in any way. If given improperly, 
however, or in too heavy a dose, it first causes excite- 
ment of the wildest character, with an uncontrollable 
disposition to bodily activity, and afterwards a com- 
plete mental and physical prostration. In the East 
Indies it is commonly used, like opium is in China, 
for the purpose of producing pleasurable excitement, 
and also for removing impotence. 

Medicines that excite the sexual organs are called 
Aphrodisiacs, and in various parts of the world they 
are in great demand, though but seldom administered, 
so as to be of any real service. As I have already re- 
marked, some of these medicines, when properly used, 
have undoubted aphrodisiac powers ; but they are by 
no means applicable in all cases. They may frequent- 
ly fail of producing any good effect whatever, and 
sometimes may even cause irretrievable mischief. The 
successful administration of them, therefore, requires a. 
perfect knowledge of their properties, and an extensive 
observation of their effects under all circumstances. It 
is for. this reason I have not given any recipes for these 
drugs, for no one can tell when they should or should 



zn 



INFLUENCE OF MEDICINES. 



not be used unless they know something about them, 
and the effects of taking, them improperly may be so 
serious that mere experiment with them is highly haz- 
ardous. 

Medicines that decrease the sexual powers are called 
Ati-aphrodisiacsj and I believe they have ail been 
mentioned. 



CHAPTER IX. 

MASTURBATION AND OTHER SEXUAL ABUSES. 

A very few years ago only it v was thought wrong 
even to allude to such a subject as masturbation, much 
less to openly speak or write about it. Fortunately, 
however, people have become more rational, and now 
begin to see that this and similar practices are of the 
most hurtful character, and that no successful efforts 
can be made for their removal till they are more fully 
and generally understood. Various books have been 
published, lectures have been delivered, and even ser- 
mons have been preached bearing upon this subject, 
till much general information about it is now dissemi- 
nated, and a very general desire is expressed for some- 
thing more complete and scientific than has yet ap- 
peared. — The greater part of the books written on 
the subject of Onanism, or Masturbation, are very in- 
complete, and not accompanied by those physiological 
and medical details that are requisite to give a clear 
view of the evil. The effects of this vice may be partly 
given in such works, though in an incomplete form, but 
the manner in which they are produced, their connexion 
with other evils, and the philosophy of their treatment, 
cannot be understood without such a work as the 
present. I have, therefore, delayed speaking upon 
this subject till all the other topics have been intro- 
duced, so that the unnatural character of the vice, and 
its terrible consequences, may be clearly obvious. 

The mere tolerance of discussion on this subject 
which now prevails, is a great point gained, and it 
is both curious and instructive to see how this tolerance 
has been gradually acquired, and how a perception of 
the manifold evils of self-abuse has extended, though 
slowly, from a few philosophers to the great mass of 

273 



274 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

the medical profession, and from thence to non-profes- 
sional persons. 

I shall now proceed to show, by extracts from an- 
cient medical writers, how this subject was regarded 
by eminent minds in former ages; and then to ex- 
hibit the more perfect knowledge and greater interest 
of modern times, including the approval, by existing 
legislators, of investigations bearing intimately upon 
it. 

Several of these extracts are taken from the writings 
of the Fathers of Physic, many of whom lived centuries 
before Christ ; allowance must, therefore, be made, in 
some few cases, both for unintentional exaggeration, 
and also for deficiency in scientific accuracy. General- 
ly speaking, the statements are fully authorized, and 
the pictures by no means overdrawn ; in fact, it is often 
the case that the whole truth is not told, simply be- 
cause it was not known. 

Hippocrates, the oldest and most correct observer, 
has already described the diseases produced by abus- 
ing the pleasures of venery, under the term, dorsal 
consumption. "This disease," says he, u arises from 
the dorsal portion of the spinal marrow. It principally 
attacks young married people, or the licentious. They 
have no fever, and, although they eat well, they grow 
thin and waste away. They have a sensation of ants 
crawling from the head down along the spine. When- 
ever they go to stool, or evacuate their urine, a con- 
siderable quantity of very thin seminal fluid escapes 
from the urethra. They lose the power of procrea- 
tion, yet often dream of venereal pleasures. They be- 
come very weak, and walking produces shortness of 
breath ; they have pains in the head and ringing in 
the ears; and finally an acute fever {Libiria) super- 
venes, and they die." We shall mention this fever in 
another place. 

"These pleasures," says Celsus in his excellent 
work on the preservation of health, "are always in- 
jurious to weak persons, and their abuses pros- 



8EXUAL ABUSES. 275 

trate the strength." We can find nothing more fright- 
ful than the description by Aretaeus, of the diseases 
produced by a too abundant evacuation of semen. 
u Young persons assume the air and the diseases of the 
aged ; they become pale, stupid, effeminate, idle, weak, 
and even void of understanding ; their bodies bend for- 
ward; their legs are weak; they have a disgust for 
everything; become fit for nothing; and many are 
afflicted with paralysis. 1, In another place he mentions 
the abuse of these pleasures among the six causes 
which produce paralysis. 

Galen has seen diseases of the brain and nerves 
from the same cause, and the powers of the body im- 
paired ; and he also relates that a man who was con- 
valescent from a violent attack of disease, died the 
same night after coition with his wife. 

Pliny, the naturalist, informs us that Cornelius 
Gallus, the old praetor, and Titus Etherius, a Roman 
knight, died in the act of copulation. 

Aetius says, "the stomach is deranged, all the 
body wastes, becomes pale, dry, and the eyes sunken. " 
These remarks of the most respectable ancient writers 
are confirmed by the moderns. Sanctorious, who has 
examined with the utmost care all the causes which 
act on our bodies, has observed that this weakens the 
stomach, destroys digestion, prevents insensible per- 
spiration, the derangements of which produce such 
evil consequences, disposes to calculus diseases, di- 
minishes the natural warmth, and is usually attended 
with a loss or derangement of sight. 

Lomnius, in his fine commentaries on the passages 
of Celsus, whom we have just cited, supports the re- 
marks of the author by his own observations: " Fre- 
quent emissions of semen relax, weaken, dry, enervate 
the body, and produce numerous other evils : as apo- 
plexies, lethargies, epilepsies, loss of sight, trembling, 
paralysis, and all kinds of painful affections. 

" One cannot read without horror the description 
left us by Tulpius, the celebrated burgomaster and 
physician of Amsterdam: * Not only,' says he, * the 



270 SEXUAL ABUSES, 

spinal marrow wastes, but the whole body and mind 
becomes languid, and the patient perishes in misery. 
Samuel Vespertius was attacked first with a humor 
upon the back of his neck and head ; it then passed to 
the spine, to the loins, to the lower and lateral region 
of the abdomen, and to the hips ; this unhappy man 
was affected with so much pain that he was entirely 
disfigured, and was emaciated so gradually by a slow 
fever that he more than once asked to be relieved from 
misery by death.'" 

Nothing, says a celebrated physician of Louvain, 
weakens the system so much. 

Blancard has known simple gonorrhoeas, dropsies, 
and consumption to depend on this cause ; and Muys 
has seen a man of good age attacked with spontaneous 
gangrene of the foot, which he attributed to the same 
kind of excesses. 

In the Memoires des Ctirieux de la Nature is men- 
tioned a case of blindness ; it deserves to be given at 
length: " We are ignorant," says the author, "what 
sympathy the testicles have with the body, but partic- 
ularly with the eyes. Salmuth has known a sensible 
hypochondriac to become a fool, and in another man 
the brain to be so collapsed that it was heard to rattle 
in the cranium, both from excesses in venery. I have 
known myself a man, fifty-nine years of age, who, 
three weeks after marrying a young wife, became 
blind, and in four months died. 

" The too great loss of the animal spirits weakens 
the stomach and destroys the appetite ; and nutrition 
not taking place, the action of the heart becomes more 
feeble ; all parts languish, and the patient becomes 
epileptic. It is true we are ignorant whether the ani- 
mal spirits and the seminal fluid are the same ; but 
observations show, as we shall see hereafter, that these 
two fluids are very analogous, and that loss of one or 
the other produces the same complaints. Hoffman 
has seen the most frightful symptoms ensue from the 
loss of semen. ' After long nocturnal pollutions,' 
says he, ' the patient not only loses strength, becomes 






SEXUAL ABUSES. 277 

emaciated and pale, but the memory is impaired, a 
continual sensation of coldness affects all the extremi- 
ties, the sight becomes dim, the voice harsh, and the 
whole body gradually wasted ; the sleep is disturbed by 
unpleasant dreams, does not refresh, and pains are 
felt like those produced by bruises. ' 

u In a consultation for a young man who, among 
other diseases produced by masturbation, was affected 
with weakness in the eyes, he says : ' I have seen sev- 
eral instances of young men who, at mature age, when 
the body possesses all its strength, were attacked, not 
only with severe pain and redness of the eyes, but the 
sight became so feeble that they could neither read 
nor write.' He adds : ' I have seen two cases of gutia 
serena from the same cause.' The history of the dis- 
order which gave rise to this consultation will be read 
with interest : ' A young man commenced masturba- 
tion when fifteen years old, and having indulged in it 
till he was twenty-three, experienced so great feeble- 
ness in his head and eyes, that during the emission of 
semen there was severe pain in the latter. When he 
attempted to read anything he had a feeling similar to 
that of drunkenness; the pupil was extraordinarily 
dilated; the eyes were exceedingly painful; the eye- 
lids very heavy, and glued together every night — they 
were often filled with tears, and a whitish matter col- 
lected very abundantly in the two corners, which were 
very painful. Although he ate with a good appetite, 
still he was extremely emaciated; and, after he had 
taken food, appeared as if drunk.' The same author 
has mentioned another case of which he was an eye- 
witness, and which we think proper to mention here : 
' A young man, eighteen years old, who had had fre- 
quent connexions with a servant girl, suddenly fainted 
and trembled exceedingly in all his extremities ; his 
countenance was very red, and his pulse very small. 
The same phenomena occurred very frequently with 
severe pain, and at the end of eight days there was a 
contraction and tumor in the right arm with a pain in 
the elbow, which was always increased during the 



278 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

paroxysm. The disease increased for some time, but 
was finally cured by Hoffman.* 

" Boerhaave portrays these diseases in that masterly 
manner, and with that precision which characterizes 
all his descriptions : ' Too great loss of semen pro- 
duces weakness, debility, immobility, convulsions, 
emaciation, dryness, pains in the membranes of the 
brain, impairs the senses — particulary that of sight — 
gives rise to dorsal consumption, indolence, and to the 
several diseases connected with them. ' 

" The cases, narrated by this great man to his au- 
ditors in explaining to them this aphorism, which re- 
lated to the different kinds of evacuations, ought not 
to be omitted : ■ I have seen/ says he, ' a sick man 
where the disease commenced by a lassitude and fee- 
bleness in the body, particularly in the loins ; it was 
accompanied by twitching of the tendons, periodical 
spasms, and loss of flesh, so as to destroy the whole 
body ; also pains in the membranes of the cerebrum 
— pains which the patient terms a dry burning (ardeur 
secke), which constantly inflames this most noble 
organ. 

" ' I have also seen one young man affected with 
dorsal consumption. His figure was good ; and al- 
though often cautioned against indulgence in these 
pleasures, he did not regard it, and became so de- 
formed before death, that the layer of flesh which ap- 
pears above the spinous processes of the lumbar verte- 
brae entirely disappeared. The cerebrum in this case 
seemed to be consumed ; in fact, the patient seemed 
to be stupid, and became so stiff that we have never 
seen the body so immovable from any other cause. 
The eyes are so dull that the sight is nearly lost.' 

V ; De Senac mentions in the first edition of his 
Essays the dangers attending masturbation, and states 
that all who indulge in this vice will be affected in the 
flower of their youth with the infirmities of age. 

" Ludwig, in describing the diseases resulting from 
too frequent evacuations, does not forget that of the 
semen. ' Young people of both sexes, who indulge in 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 279 

lasciviousness, ruin their health by wasting strength 
which was designed to make them vigorous, and 
finally fall into consumption. ' 

"De Gotter details the sad accidents arising from 
this cause, but they are too long to copy. We refer 
to the work all those who can read the language in 
which it is written. 

" Van Swieten, after quoting the description of 
Hippocrates mentioned above, adds : ' I have seen all 
these symptoms, and several others, in those unfortu- 
nate people who indulged in self-pollutions. I have 
employed uselessly, for three years, all the resources 
of medicine for a young man who was diseased in 
consequence of this practice with wandering, frightful, 
and general pains, with a sensation sometimes of heat, 
and sometimes of cold, in every part of the body, but 
particularly in the loins. Afterwards, these pains 
having diminished, his thighs and legs were so cold 
that, although they seemed of the natural temperature 
when touched, he was constantly warming himself by 
the fire, even during the warmest days of summer. I 
noticed particularly, all this time, a continual rotary 
motion of the testicle in the scrotum, and the patient 
felt a similar motion in the loins.' This account does 
not mention whether this unfortunate creature died in 
three years or continued to languish sometime longer, 
which would be more dreadful : he could not have re- 
covered. 

u Kloekof, in a very fine work on the diseases of the 
mind which depend on the body, confirms by his ob- 
servations what we have already mentioned : ' A too 
great loss of semen weakens all the solid parts ; hence 
arise weakness, idleness, phthisis, tabes dorsalis, stu- 
pidity, affections of the senses, faintings, and convul- 
sions. ' 

" Hoffman had already remarked that those young 
people who practice the infamous habit of masturba- 
tion lose gradually all the faculties of the mind, par- 
ticularly the memory, and become entirely unfit for 
study. 



280 SEXUAL ABUSES, 

1 l Lewis describes all these symptoms. We shall 
translate from his work only what relates to the mind : 
1 All the symptoms which arise from excesses with 
females follow still more promptly, in youth, the 
abominable practice of masturbation, and it is difficult 
to paint them in as frightful colors as they deserve. 
Young persons addict themselves to this practice with- 
out knowing the enormity of the crime, and all the 
consequences which physically result from it. The 
mind is affected by all the diseases of the body, but 
particularly from those arising from this cause. The 
most dismal melancholy, indifference, and aversion to 
all pleasures, the impossibility to take part in conver- 
sation, the sense of their own misery, the conscious- 
ness of having brought it upon themselves, the neces- 
sity of renouncing -the happiness of marriage, all affect 
them so much that they renounce the world — blessed 
if they escape suicide. ' " 

The symptoms here given are precisely such as are 
ordinarily seen in cases of self-abuse, but there are 
many others, arising secondarily, which have only been 
recently ascribed to this cause. Idiocy and insanity, 
for instance, and that general failing of all the physical 
and mental powers, affecting both the individual and 
his offspring, which leads eventually to the extinction 
of his family and name. It is only of late that proper 
attention has been directed to these terrible evils, and 
that they have been thought to be at all under our 
control. Formerly they were looked on as mysterious 
dispensations of providence, much to be deplored, but 
only to be met with patience and resignation. Many 
eminent writers of the present age have distinctly rec- 
ognized the influence of self-abuse in the production of 
idiocy, insanity, and constitutional degeneracy; and 
have especially urged the necessity of attending to it 
when treating those evils. Among other recognitions 
of this kind I have been particularly struck with one, a 
legislative document, in which there is more wholesome 
truth told, and more sound reasoning advanced, than 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 281 

in almost all the medical treatises on the subject put 
together. It is a Report on the subject of Idiocy, 
presented to the Massachusetts Senate by Dr. S. B. 
Howe, in February, 1848, in compliance with a for- 
mer resolution of that body directing such a Report to 
be made. I am only surprised that such a document, 
so valuable, should be so little known, and that the 
Hon. Senators should not have seen that their duty 
was to give it as wide a circulation as possible. The 
influence of such a document, from such a source, 
must have been very great ; and, no doubt, would ac- 
complish more good in the way of prevention than all 
their asylums and medical treatment could do in the 
way of cure. In time this and similar Reports will be 
eagerly sought for, and their great value to the public 
at large will be universally admitted. I shall quote 
from the Report here for the double purpose of corrob- 
orating by it my own statements, and also of making 
it more generally known. 

In speaking upon the necessity that exists for boldly 
approaching this subject, notwithstanding the prejudice 
that many persons feel against doing so, Dr. H. makes 
the following forcible and sensible remarks : — 

" There is another vice, a monster so hideous in 
mien, so disgusting in feature, altogether so beastly 
and loathsome, that, in very shame and cowardice, it 
hides its head by day, and, vampyre-like, sucks the very 
life-blood from its victims by night ; and it may per- 
haps commit more direct ravages upon the strength 
and reason of those victims than even intemperance ; 
and that vice is 

SELF-ABUSE. 

" One would fain be spared the sickening task of 
dealing with this disgusting subject; but, as he who 
would exterminate the wild beasts that ravage his 
fields, must not fear to enter their dark and noisome 
dens, and drag them out of their lair ; so he, who 



282 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

would rid humanity of a pest, must not shrink from 
dragging it from its hiding-places to perish in the light 
of day. If men deified him who delivered Lerna from 
its hydra, and canonized him who rid Ireland of its 
serpents, what should they do for one who could ex- 
tirpate this monster- vice ? What is the ravage of fields, 
the slaughter of flocks, or even the poison of serpents, 
compared with that pollution of body and soul, that 
utter extinction of reason, and that degradation of 
beings, made in God's image, to a condition which it 
would be an insult to the animals to call beastly, and 
which is so often the consequence of excessive indul- 
gence in this vice ? 

" It cannot be that such loathsome wrecks of human- 
ity as men and women reduced to drivelling idiocy by 
this cause, should be permitted to float upon the tide 
of life, without some useful purpose ; and the only one 
we can conceive is that of awful beacons to make others 
avoid, — as they would eschew moral pollution and 
death, — the course which leads to such ruin. 

u This may seem to be extravagant language, but 
there can be no exaggeration, for there can be no ad- 
equate description even of the horrible condition to 
which men and women are reduced by this practice. 
There are, among those enumerated in this Report, 
some who not long ago were considered young gentle- 
men and ladies, but who are now moping idiots — idiots 
of the lowest kind, — lost to all reason, — to all moral 
sense, — to all shame — idiots who have but one thought, 
one wish, one passion,— and that is, the further in- 
dulgence in the habit which has loosed the silver cord, 
even in their early youth, which has already wasted, 
and, as it were, dissolved the fibrous part of their 
bodies, and utterly extinguished their minds. 

u In such extreme cases, there is nothing left to ap- 
peal to, absolutely less than there is in the dogs and 
horses, — for they may be acted upon by fear of punish- 
ment; but these poor creatures are beyond all fear 
and all hope, and they cumber the earth a while — 
living masses of corruption. 



SEXUAL. ABUSES. 283 

'* If only such lost and helpless wretches existed, it 
would be a duty to cover them charitably with the veil 
of concealment, and hide them from the public eye, as 
things too hideous to be seen ; but, alas! they are only 
the most unfortunate members of a large class. They 
have sunk down into the abyss towards which thou- 
sands are tending. The vice which has shorn these 
poor creatures of the fairest attributes of humanity is 
acting upon others, in a less degree indeed, but still 
most injuriously ; enervating the body, weakening the 
mind, and polluting the soul. 

"A knowledge of the extent to which this vice pre- 
vails would astonish and shock many. It is indeed a 
pestilence which walketh in darkness, because, while 
it saps and weakens all the higher qualities of the mind, 
it so strengthens low cunning and deceit, that the vic- 
tim goes on in his habit unsuspected, until he is ar- 
rested by some one whose practised eye reads his sin in 
the very means which he takes to conceal it— or until 
all sense of shame is forever lost in the night of idiocy, 
with which his day so early closes. 

4< Many a child who confides everything else to a 
loving parent, conceals this practice in its innermost 
heart. The sons or daughters who dutifully, conscien- 
tiously, and religiously confess themselves to father, 
mother, or priest on every other subject, never allude 
to this. Nay, they strive to cheat and deceive by false 
appearances ; for, as against this darling sin, — duty, 
conscience, and religion are all nothing. They even 
think to cheat God, or cheat themselves into the belief 
that He who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity 
can still regard their sin with favor. 

u Many a fond parent looks with wondering anxi- 
ety upon the puny frame, the feeble purpose, the fit- 
ful humors of a dear child, and, after trying all other 
remedies to restore him to vigor of body and vigor of 
mind, goes journeying about from place to place, hop- 
ing to lea\*e the offending cause behind, while the victim 
hugs the disgusting serpent closely to his bosom, and 
conceals it carefully in his vestment. 



284 8EXUAL ABUSES. 

" The evils which this sinful habit works in a direct 
and positive manner are not so appreciable, perhaps, 
as that which it effects in an indirect and negative way. 
For one victi?n which it leads down to the depths of 
idiocy ', there are scores and hundreds whom it makes 
shamefaced, languid, irresolute, and inefficient for any 
high purpose of life. In this way, the evil to indi-. 
viduals and to the community is very great. 

" It behooves every parent, especially those whose 
children (of either sex) are obliged to board and sleep 
with other children, whether in boarding-schools, 
boarding-houses, or elsewhere, to have a constant and 
watchful eye over them with a view to this insidious 
and pernicious habit. The symptoms of it are easily 
learned, and, if once seen, should be immediately no- 
ticed. 

" Nothing is more false than the common doctrine of 
delicacy a?id reserve in the treat7nent of this habit. All 
hints, all indirect advice, all attempts to cure it by creat- 
ing diversions, will generally do nothing but increase 
the cunning with which it is concealed. The way is, 
to throw aside all reserve ; to charge the offence di- 
rectly home; to show up its disgusting nature and 
hideous consequences in glowing colors ; to apply the 
cautery seething hot, and press it in to the very quick, 
unsparingly and unceasingly. 

"Much good has been done, of late years, by the 
publication of cheap books upon this subject. They 
should be put into the hands of all youth suspected of 
the vice. They should be forced to attend to the sub- 
ject. There should be no squeamishness about it. 

" There need be no fear of weakening virtue by let- 
ting it look upon such hideous deformity as this vice 
presents. Virtue is not salt or sugar to be softened by 
such exposure ; but the crystal or diamond that repels 
all foulness from its surface. Acquaintance with such 
a vice as this, — such acquaintance, that is, as is gained 
by having it held up before the eyes in all its ugliness, 
can only serve to make it detested and avoided. 

" Were this the place to show the utter fallacy of the 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 285 

notion that harm is done by talking or writing to the 
young about this vice, it could probably be done by ar- 
gument, certainly by the relation of pretty extensive 
experience. This experience has shown that, in ninety- 
nine cases in a hundred, the existence of the vice was 
known to the young, but not known in its true deform- 
ity ; and that, in the hundredth, the repulsive charac- 
ter in which it was first presented made it certain that 
no further acquaintance with it would be sought. " 

This is speaking to the point, and Dr. Howe never 
rendered more important service to suffering humanity 
than when he laid down these momentous truths. 

In another part of the Report the effects of ignorance 
are made terribly apparent, not only upon the unfor- 
tunate victim, but also upon society at large, and it is 
plainly shown what danger every one runs while that 
ignorance exists. 

u In some families which are degraded by drunken- 
ness and vice, there is a degree of combined ignorance 
and depravity which disgraces humanity. It is not 
wonderful that feeble-minded children are born in such 
families; or, being born, that many of them become 
idiotic. Out of this class domestics are sometimes 
taken by those in better circumstances, and they make 
their employers feel the consequences of suffering 
ignorance and vice to exist in the community. There 
are cases recorded in the appendix where servant- 
women, who had the charge of little girls, deliberately 
taught them habits of self-abuse, in order that they 
might exhaust themselves, and go to sleep quietly! 
This has happened in private houses, as well as in 
the almshouses ; and such little girls have become 
idiotic ! 

" The mind instinctively recoils from giving credit to 
such atrocious guilt ; nevertheless, it is there, with all 
its hideous consequences ; and no hiding of our eyes, 
no wearing of rose-colored spectacles — nothing but 
looking at it in its naked deformity will ever enable 



286 SEXUAL ABUSKS. 

men to cure it. There is no cordon sanitaire for vice ; 
we cannot put it into quarantine, nor shut it up in 
a hospital ; if we allow its existence in our neigh- 
borhood, it poisons the very air which our children 
breathe." 

These remarks apply also to our public schools, in 
most of which this vice prevails to an alarming extent, 
and sometimes in the most open manner. I have been 
myself amazed at the revelations made to me on this 
subject, both by teachers and pupils, and clearly 
enough has it been proved, to my satisfaction, how 
that shunning of the subject, which many so syste- 
matically practice, leads directly to the production and 
continuance of the vice. 

In some few cases masturbation is learned accident- 
ally, or a knowledge of it arises spontaneously, but in a 
vast majority of instances it is taught ', and hence the 
great importance of preventing, if possible, those who 
are addicted to it from contaminating those who are 
innocent. Dr. Howe remarks : 

i ' There is one remarkable and valuable fact to be 
learned respecting this vice from observation of idiots, 
and that is, that some of them, though they have no 
idea of right and wrong, no sense of shame, and no 
moral restraint, are, nevertheless, entirely free from it. 
They could never have been in the practice of it, else 
they would never have abandoned it. 

i( From this may be inferred, that it is a pest gen- 
erally engendered by too intimate association of persons 
of the same sex ; that it is handed from one to another 
like contagion; and that those who are not exposed to 
the contagion are not likely to contract the dreadful 
habit of it. Hence we see, that not only propriety and 
decency, but motives of prudence, require us to train 
up all children to habits of modesty and reserve. 
Children, as they approach adolescence, should never 
be permitted to sleep together. Indeed, the rule 
should be, — not with a view only to preventing this 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 287 

vice, but in view of many other considerations, — that, 
after the infant has left its mother's arms, and become 
a child, it should ever after sleep in a bed by itself. 
The older children grow, and the nearer they approach 
to youth, the more important does this become. Boys 
even should be taught to shrink sensitively from any 
unnecessary exposure of person before each other; 
they should be trained to habits of delicacy and self- 
respect ; and the capacity which Nature has given to 
all for becoming truly modest and refined should be 
cultivated to the utmost. Habits of self-respect, deli- 
cacy, and refinement, with regard to the person, are 
powerful adjuncts to moral virtues ; they need not 
be confined to the wealthy and favored classes — 
they cost nothing; on the contrary, they are the 
seeds which may be had without price, but which 
ripen into fruits of enjoyment that no money can buy. " 

In the present state of society it is almost impossible, 
unfortunately, to prevent children from being taught 
this vice, either practically or by verbal instruction, 
and it is, therefore, necessary to guard them against it 
by timely information and warning. Even if he be 
strictly kept from vicious associates the child may learn 
the habit himself, and may sink and die from it while 
the parent is glorifying himself on the success of his 
precautions. 

In the article on Insanity in Copland's Dictionary of 
Practical Medicine, the author, in pointing out the 
various causes of that terrible affliction, speaks in the 
following terms respecting self-abuse : 

"Many, however, of those causes, which thus affect 
nervous energy, favor congestion on the brain, and 
occasion disease of other vital organs, tending to dis- 
order the functions of the brain sympathetically. Of 
these, the most influential are masturbation and liber- 
tinism, or sexual excesses, sensuality in all its forms, 
and inordinate indulgence in the use of intoxicating 
substances and stimulants. The baneful influence of 



288 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

the first of these causes is very much greater, in both 
sexes, than is usually supposed ; and is, I believe, a 
growing evil, with the diffusion of luxury, of pre- 
cocious knowledge, and of the vices of civilization. It 
is even more prevalent in thefeinale than in the male 
sex ; and in the former it usually occasions various dis- 
orders connected with the sexual organs — as leucor- 
rhcea, displacement of -the uterus ; difficult, or dis- 
ordered, or suppressed, or profuse menstruation ; both 
regular and irregular hysteria, catalepsy, ecstasis, 
vertigo, various states of disordered sensibility, etc., 
before it gives rise to mental disorder. In both sexes, 
epilepsy often precedes insanity from this cause; and 
either it or general paralysis often complicates the ad- 
vanced progress of the mental disorder, when thus 
occasioned. Melancholia, the several grades of de- 
mentia, especially imbecility and monomania, are the 
more frequent forms of derangement proceeding from 
a vice which not only prostrates the physical powers, 
but also impairs the intellect, debases the moral affec- 
tions, and altogether degrades the individual in the 
scale of social existence, even when manifest insanity 
does not arise from it." 

Some persons think that masturbation produces only 
the same effects as natural excess, and in no greater 
degree, but this is a great mistake. There is the same 
exhaustion of the semen in both cases, but in self-abuse 
it is not accompanied by those natural associations that 
bring it about in a pleasing manner, and leave after- 
wards a feeling of satisfaction. On the contrary, it is 
induced almost wholly by a powerful exertion of the 
imagination alone, aided by manual means that zxefelt 
to be inappropriate, so that the act itself is but a very 
imperfect gratification, and the feelings that follow it 
are rather those of disgust and remorse than of pleas- 
urable recollection. The facility with which the habit 
can be indulged also leads to its frequent repetition, 
and as the concurrence of a second party is not neces- 
sary there is nothing to prevent its growing and 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 289 

becoming fully confirmed. In fact, the individual 
becomes a slave to a vice that he himself despises, and 
which he feels is destroying him. The mental tortures 
of remorse, fear, and self-condemnation are then 
added to bodily exhaustion, and we need not wonder 
at the fearful havoc they produce. The licentious 
debauchee will often look back with a species of pride 
and vain- glory upon his numerous indulgences, even 
when he feels they are killing him, and he may even 
feel over again, by recollection, some of his former 
pleasures, but for the victim of masturbation there is 
not even this small solace. His pleasure is but in- 
complete at best, and clouded by dissatisfaction, while 
the recollection of it only excites disgust and fearful ap- 
prehensions. 

In fact the evil effects of excessive natural indulgence, 
particularly the mental, ones, bear no comparison, for 
severity with those of self-abuse, nor are they nearly 
so numerous and varied. Natural indulgence, it 
must also be recollected, cannot be practised so read- 
ily, at all times, as masturbation, and consequently it 
can never cause such extensive mischief. It is but sel- 
dom that natural excesses cause insanity or idiocy, ex- 
cept secondarily in the offspring; but solitary vice 
frequently does so, both in the individual and in his 
children. 

In the Massachusetts Report it is stated that 191 of 
the idiots examined were known to have practised mas- 
turbation, and in 19 of them the habit was even coun- 
tenanced by the parents or nurses ! — 116 of this num- 
ber were males, and 75 females. In 420 who were 
born idiots, 102 were addicted to masturbation ; and in 
10 cases the idiocy of the children was u Manifestly at- 
tributable to self-abuse in the parents /" These 10 
known cases, it should also be recollected, justify the 
conclusion that there are really many more, though 
not ascertained ; and make it clear that much of the 
idiocy found among children, both mental and moral f 
is owing to sexual vice in the parents! What a fear- 
ful fact is this to contemplate, and how important that 



290 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

it should be duly weighed, both by the moral reformer 
and legislator. 

In the Annual Reports of the Massachusetts State 
Lunatic Asylum are some valuable statistics showing 
the connection between masturbation and insanity. 
In the Twelfth of these Reports, I find that the num- 
ber of cases existing in the Institute caused by self- 
abuse is set down at One Hundred and Thirty-nine, 
and yet great pleasure is expressed that the vice has 
"fewer victims than formerly." The decrease in the 
number is attributed, and justly, too, I have no doubt, 
if there be a decrease, to ' ' the information that has 
been diffused on the subject, and the warnings that 
have reached the young through the various channels 
of intelligence that have been opened on this hitherto 
obscure subject." 

In the Thirteenth Report One Hundred and Forty - 
five cases are set down as caused by masturbation, and 
some very forcible remarks are made on the subject 
which I think it will be useful to copy 

" The causes of insanity may be divided into volun- 
tary and involuntary. Of the former, the principal 
are intemperance and the secret vice ; other causes 
may be of this class, such as hazardous speculation, 
many religious vagaries, imprudent exposures, and 
irregularities. None are so prominent as the two first 
named, and none so fully stain the character with 
guilt, which even the occurrence of hopeless disease 
can hardly wipe away. Intemperance disorders the 
senses, and induces apoplexy, epilepsy, and pals)'. 
The cases from this cause are about as favorable for 
recovery as the majority of others, but are most sure 
to return if the habit of intemperance recurs. The 
secret vice produces the very worst form of insanity, 
because it is so difficult to avoid the continuance of the 
cause, and because the energies of the system are 
more prostrated by it than by almost any other cause. 
Such patients become degraded animals, so entirely 
abandoned to the habit, that hopeless dementia and 






SEXUAL ABUSES. 291 

drivelling idiocy generally follow. A few can be influ- 
enced to abandon the practice, and a few others can 
be cured in spite of it ; but in almost all cases the dis- 
ease will become worse, and these dreadful conse- 
quences will ensue. 

a The secret vice, though doubtless a frequent 
cause of insanity, and of other severe and fatal diseases 
far more than is generally supposed, is most operative 
in preventing recovery from insanity, arising from this 
and other causes. // is extensively and alarmingly 
the result of an active propensity excited by disease and 
unrestrained by reason, moral influences, or self-respect. 
Many cases of a favorable character progress towards 
recovery till this practice is commenced, then the pa- 
tient becomes listless, is inclined to lie down or sit in a 
bent position, walks moderately, looks feeble, and feels 
weak and miserable. His mind loses its energies, its 
scope is circumscribed, more and more, till this 
beastly indulgence occupies all his thoughts, and the 
remnant of all the physical powers are concentrated to 
this single effort of gross and debased animal nature. 
Thus the grovelling sensualist lives often a long life 
a degraded sufferer, without a manly thought or a 
moral feeling worthy of his nature or his destiny, and 
finally leaves the world without the regret of his 
friends, a useless, burthensome, loathsome object of 
abhorrence and disgust." 

In the two Reports, under the head of " Relation 
of Cause to Recovery," I find two hundred and seventy- 
one males enumerated, and twenty-one females, from 
masturbation and its effects ; and of this number one 
hundred and ninety-seven males and twenty-seven 
females were incurable ! — Only two of the females, it 
will be observed, being curable. 

Some persons express fear that if this subject be 
generally discussed, and all are informed about it, 
that this very publicity will increase the evil by excit- 
ing an amount of attention that would not otherwise 
have been given to it. The fallacy of this will be evi- 



292 ST.XUAL A BUSKS. 

dent enough, to all those who are acquainted with the 
nature and extent of the vice. It is next to impossible 
to prevent its being known, either naturally or from 
tuition, and, therefore, no harm can possibly result 
from proper information timely given ; while, on the 
other hand, numbers undoubtedly perish for want of it. 

If it were true that a knowledge of the nature and 
consequences of this habit tends to its being practised, 
we ought to find it most prevalent amongst those who 
have most of that knowledge, and least so amongst 
those who have the least of it. The truth is, however, 
directly the reverse, as every sensible person would pre- 
suppose, and as facts indubitably prove. Those who 
are educated as physicians of course study everything 
relating to the sexual system, and are acquainted with 
all its details, while mechanics, generally speaking, 
never study anything of the kind, because it is not nec- 
essary for them to do so. Now, let us see what pro- 
portion of the Insane, from both these classes, are 
made so by masturbation. 

In the Thirteenth Annual Report I find that there 
are in the asylum sixty-two shoemakers, of whom 
twenty-four were made insane by masturbation, which 
shows that of the insanity existing in this class of the 
population, who certainly receive but little of this kind 
of information, nearly fifty per cent, or one half, arises 
from self-abuse ! — Now what is the proportion when we 
refer to the medical profession ? I can find physicians 
made insane by other causes, but neither in that Re- 
port, nor in the one for the preceding year, do I find 
a single case of one becoming insane from masturba- 
tion ! These facts, so far from proving what some 
assert, that an intimate acquaintance with the physi- 
ology of the sexual system leads to its abuse, prove di- 
rectly the reverse, and show conclusively that the best 
informed go the least astray. 

Other facts in the same Report also show that it is 
precisely this kind of knowledge that is needed, and 
that no other will either lead the thoughts from it nor 
fortify against it. Thus among students the propor- 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 293 

tion of insane from masturbation is nearly seventy-five 
per cent, there being eighteen from this cause out of 
twenty -five j the balance of the cases being two from 
ill health, two from domestic affliction, two from re- 
ligion, and one from epilepsy. Among merchants the 
proportion is about fifty per cent; among lawyers, 
about thirty-three per cent; and among clergymen 
fifty -six per cent ! 

The most frequent cause of insanity is set down as 
intemperance ; but in numerous cases this has been 
first produced by masturbation, the patient resorting 
to alcoholic and other stimulants merely as a tempo- 
rary relief from the exhaustion produced by this prac- 
tice. /// health is also another frequent cause, and 
how often this arises from self- abuse is well known. 
In short, there is no doubt on my mind, after duly 
considering all the facts, that solitary vice produces 
more insanity than all other causes put together. 

Another valuable fact also shown in these reports is 
the influence of occupation in leading to solitary vice. 
It is proved conclusively that light sedentary employ- 
ments very much favor the formation of such habits, 
and that, on the contrary, active out-of-door occupation 
has the contrary effect. Thus among u merchants, 
printers, students, and shoemakers/ y y|/^/^r cent of 
the insanity arises from masturbation, and only twelve 
per cent from intemperance ; while among carpenters, 
blacksmiths, and others who are actively employed, 
thirty-five per cent of the insanity arises from intem- 
perance and only thirteen per cent from masturbation. 
Among seaman again fifty-four per cent of the insanity 
arises from intemperance, and only eleven per cent from 
solitary vice. These facts should be duly weighed by 
parents when choosing employment for their sons. Many 
a youth of sanguine temperament, urgently requiring 
muscular and mental occupation of the most varied 
kind, is condemned to the monotonous inactivity of a 
counting-house desk, the distasteful plodding of an 
office, or some merely intellectual profession, and in 
consequence becomes listless, dogged, and self-debased. 



294 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

In such cases the abundant vital energy, that ought to 
have been expended in active exertion, is retained, and, 
by stimulating the sexual organs to an unnatural de- 
gree, leads to solitary vice both as a gratification and a 
relief. 

The effects of masturbation most frequently met with 
are weakness of the eyes, swelling and soreness of the 
eyelids, partial deafness, weakness of the limbs and 
back, headache, dizziness, flatulence, incontinence of 
urine, diarrhoea or obstinate costiveness, palpitation of 
the heart, shortness of breath, loss of memory, and con- 
fusion of judgment, with melancholy or irritable peev- 
ishness. Another effect also met with in many cases, 
is a partial loss of the power of speech or a tendency to 
stammer and stutter. This effect I have often ob- 
served in persons who had previously spoken as flu- 
ently as any one, and who could not imagine themselves 
what the difficulty arose from. Most frequently it is 
attributed simply to that loss of self-confidence, and 
that feeling of shame, which all self-abusers expe- 
rience, and no doubt this does make it worse, but still 
the main cause of the impediment is a partial paralysis 
of the muscles of the throat, brought on by sympathy 
with the irritated parts below. Not unfrequently there 
is more or less difficulty in swallowing at the same time, 
with frequent sighing and gulping, as if there was wind 
in the throat. In fact all this class of symptoms are very 
similar to those observed in the hysteria of females, 
with which they are, to a great extent identical, both 
in nature and origin. 

Baldness is also a frequent occurrence to those who 
practise. masturbation, and so is premature whitening 
of the hair. 

Palsy and Epilepsy are more frequently the results 
of this practice than is usually thought, and Paralysis 
is quite commonly so. I have known many instances 
of young men becoming temporarily paralytic from ex- 
cessive self-abuse, and very recently I was called to see 
an old man who was dying from paralysis brought on 
in this way. These affections, though severe, need 



SKXUAL ABUSES. 295 

not be wondered at when the powerful sympathies of 
the generative organs are borne in mind, and the great 
exhaustion of the vital power caused by their excessive 
action. 

The best way, however, to exhibit the full effects 
of this baneful vice is to give a few illustrative cases, 
which will not only portray the prominent symptoms but 
also indicate the course of treatment usually adopted. 
Some of them are contributed by M. Lallemand, and 
others I have selected from my own note-book. 

" M. D , of Philadelphia, of a very robust consti- 
tution, contracted the habit of masturbation while at 
school when only eight years of age. The first effect 
produced was a frequent desire to pass urine, and at 
twelve years of age this irritability had become so great, 
that he was sometimes unable to retain his urine a 
quarter of an hour. Before entering a house he always 
took care to micturate several times in rapid succession ; 
and, notwithstanding this precaution, he soon experi- 
enced renewed uneasiness. He felt as though his 
bladder was never entirely empty, and the smallest 
quantity of urine induced spasmodic contractions. 
The irritability of the urinary organs diminished by 
degrees after the period of puberty, but never ceased 
entirely, notwithstanding the various means which were 
employed on different occasions. 

"At the age of sixteen, M. D endeavored to 

break off hi-s injurious habits by sexual intercouse, but 
he found himself completely impotent, and shame in- 
duced him to return to masturbation. He afterwards 
made further attempts to correct himself, but he ex- 
perienced nocturnal pollutions, which often made him 
lose courage. At length, after many relapses, he suc- 
ceeded completely, without observing any further noc- 
turnal emissions. Still his health, instead of improv- 
ing, became more and more impaired. His erections 
were less frequent, less prolonged, incomplete, and, at 
length, gradually ceased, together with all venereal 
desire. 



290 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

u At the age of twenty-eight, the state of his urine, 
its frequent discharge, and the wandering pains in the 
perineum and testicles, induced a fear of calculus; 
sounding, however, only showed a morbid sensibility 
of the urethra, especially towards the neck of the 
bladder. 

u In the beginning of May, 1837, M. D came to 

Montpellier, in the following condition : — much debili- 
tated ; unsteady in his walk ; easily chilled, and taking 
cold very quickly ; wandering pains all over his body ; 
skin dry ; memory impaired ; digestion difficult ; ex- 
tremities cold ; scrotum relaxed, and testicles soft, very 
sensitive, and often causing a dull pain, as if they were 
forcibly compressed ; the semen (from the account he 
gave of the last nocturnal pollutions he had experi- 
enced) clear, aqueous, inodorous; seminal emissions 
with the last drops of urine, which were clammy, and 
passed with difficulty, and excited a sensation of tick- 
ling in the neighborhood of the anus, which extended 
to the orifice of the urethra ; he often had diarrhoea, 
but, at other times, was very costive, and his stools 
were passed with difficulty and pain. He did not, how- 
ever, often pass semen while at stool. 

"I discovered, several days following, the presence of 

semen in M. D 's urine, and catheterism showed an 

excessive irritability of the urethra, especially in the 
neighborhood of the prostate, which, on examination, 
was found slightly enlarged. Nearly a table-spoonful 
of blood followed the withdrawal of the catheter. The 
circumstances did not leave the least doubt on my mind 
as to the state of the mucous membrane in the vicinity 
of the ejaculatory ducts ; and, consequently, I imme- 
diately performed cauterization, from the neck of the 
bladder, as far as the membraneous portion of the 
urethra. Twenty days afterwards, M. D. left Mont- 
pellier for Italy, and when he returned, three months 
afterwards, he was completely cured — no involuntary 
seminal emissions having afterwards appeared. His 
urine was transparent, and could be retained seven or 
eight hours without inconvenience ; its discharge took 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 297 

place without effort, and was not accompanied by any- 
remarkable sensation. Lastly, the patient's impotence, 
which had been present nearly twelve years, had given 
place to a virility previously unknown to him. I need 
hardly state that his physical and moral energy had 
shared in this regeneration." 

I have often had occasion to notice the connexion 
that exists between the spermatic and urinary organs ; 
and I have shown that there is scarcely a cause of 
spermatorrhoea which does not act more or less on the 
bladder and kidneys. The cause I am now investi- 
gating affords us numerous examples of this connexion 
— of which the case I have just related is a remarkable 
instance — the irritation of the urinary organs having 
been developed very rapidly, having shown very marked 
symptoms, and having existed alone during several 
years. The patient was only eight years of age when 
he first became addicted to masturbation ; at this early 
age the urinary organs alone possessed activity, and 
therefore they alone were able to suffer disturbance of 
their functions; on this account the symptoms were 
confined for a long time to the urinary organs. The 
character of the symptoms showed that they arose 
from a chronic state of inflammation, or from an 
acute irritation of the urinary organs, and this state 
must have extended also towards the spermatic organs. 
Thus the increased secretion of the kidneys, and the 
extreme irritability of the bladder, would give a very 
clear idea of what took place in the spermatic organs 
at the period of puberty. As soon as the testicles 
began to act, they fell under the same influence as the 
kidneys ; the seminal vesicles were in the same con- 
dition as the bladder ; in other words, the semen was 
secreted in large quantities, and was retained a very 
short time in its reservoirs. Being therefore imperfectly 
formed, the usual effect on the erectile tissues produced 
by its presence did not take place, and coitus was im- 
possible at the age of sixteen. The occurrence of im- 
potence at so early an age is sufficient to show that 



298 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

diurnal pollutions had already commenced, although 
the patient did not discover them for a long time after- 
wards. He was still, however, able to practice mastur- 
bation ; and this is a circumstance which has great 
effect in preventing persons addicted to the vice from 
renouncing their fatal habits. At a later period, noc- 
turnal pollutions, which occurred after a few days' care, 
shook the patient's resolution. This is a much less 
serious circumstance than the one just mentioned, but 
at the same time much more common. At length the 
patient left off his habits, and his nocturnal pollutions 
disappeared ; yet the disorder of his health continued 
to increase. His prudence, exercised too late, did not 
arise from the strength of his will, but from the weak- 
ness of his genital organs ; the disappearance of his 
nocturnal emissions did not arise from the remedial 
measures used, but from the increase of his involuntary 
diurnal discharges, of which he only became aware 
long afterwards. These common errors are the more 
dangerous, 'because medical practitioners are apt to 
participate in them. 

The above case is a highly instructive one, because 
it shows both how early the habit of masturbation may 
be commenced, and also what a general disturbance of 
the economy it may lead to. The following one, with 
which we will conclude this chapter, is also a very im- 
portant one, and shows how readily the symptoms of 
Spermatorrhoea may be thought to indicate other 
diseases, and what mistakes may be made in con- 
sequence : 

"I am indebted for the following remarkable case 
to the kindness of Dr. Daniel, of Cette. ' On the 26th 

of May, 1836, I was called to F , a baker, aged 

twenty-two ; I found him in bed, in the following con- 
dition : — great moral prostration, carried even to a 
hatred of existence ; prostration of strength ; anaemia ; 
lips pale and shrivelled; remarkable pallidity; eyes 
sunken ; expression of countenance dull ; great emaci- 
ation; skin hot and dry; pulse small; voice hoarse, 



SEXUAL ABUSES. 299 

and so low that it was with difficulty a few words could 
be heard by approaching the ear; constant cough, 
scarcely permitting an instant's repose ; general wan- 
dering pains, most severe in the loins, and the sides of 
the chest ; great irritability of the stomach — vomiting 
being excited after taking almost any kind of liquor or 
solid food. 

" ( At first I thought that I recognised in this patient 
the symptoms of phthisis laryngea, complicated with 
chronic gastritis ; but the examination of his chest and 
abdomen did not support this opinion. The epigastric 
region was not painful on pressure; the respiratory 
murmur was heard all over the chest, and percussion 
emitted a healthy sound, except under the left false 
ribs, where it was slightly dull, and the patient felt 
pain. 

" 6 His debility did not permit me to practice abstrac- 
tion of blood ; and, indeed, the pleuropneumonia of the 
left side did not seem either very extensive or very 
acute ; I therefore ordered a large blister to be applied 
over the affected spot, and prescribed a solution of 
tartar emetic, and a strict diet. The pain in the side 
disappeared, and two days afterwards the stomach 
could retain milk and barley-water. Still nothing 
explained the patient's emaciation; his almost total 
loss of voice, hoarseness, and constant cough. His 
parents attributed these symptoms to hereditary 
phthisis, and mentioned that several members of the 
family had died of that disease. Minute and repeated 

examination of F 's chest, however, assured me 

that this was not the case. On the other hand, the 
symptoms were very severe, and I could not discover 
any visceral lesion sufficient to account for them. In 
this state of uncertainty, your views on spermatorrhoea 
attracted my attention. I immediately questioned the 
patient respecting his past life, and I learnt that at the 
age of seventeen he practised masturbation with such 
fury that he had frequently passed aqueous semen, 
mixed with blood ; frightened by these accidents, he 
had corrected himself completely. But, after about a 



300 SEXUAL ABUSES. 

fortnight's abstinence, he noticed that his urine con- 
tained a deposit of thick, whitish, flocculent matter. 
He never attached any importance to this, although 
during four years he observed it constantly, and 
noticed that it was more abundant after he had been 
much fatigued in his business. He observed, also, that 
the last drops of urine were thick and viscid, and that 
a small quantity of viscid matter generally remained at 
the orifice of the urethra. His bad symptoms first 
commenced at this time ; his erections and desires 
entirely disappeared ; and, by the time he had attained 
the age of twenty-one, he was obliged to give up his 
employment, and shortly afterwards his symptoms 
becoming aggravated he was unable to quit his bed. 

" ' I examined his urine, and found it in the condition 
he had described ; the deposit contained in it being 
about an ounce in quantity. I noticed tha,t his testicles 
were soft, and his scrotum flaccid. He agreed to my 
proposition of cauterizing the prostatic portion of the 
urethra with eagerness, and I performed it on the fol- 
lowing day. The effect of the cauterization was rapid : 
the second night afterwards the patient slept soundly ; 
the third day a change was observed in his voice, and 
erections occured during the night. On the fourth 
day the patient was able to get up and take some light 
food, which was well digested; his wandering pains 
had disappeared ; and by the ninth day he was per- 
fectly restored.' " 



CHAPTER X. 

EROTOMANIA AND SATYRIASIS. 

These two affections are usually confounded to- 
gether, but there is considerable difference in their 
nature, though their manifestations are similar. In 
both of them there is an unnatural excitation of sexual 
desire, so that it sometimes becomes utterly uncon- 
trollable, and gratification is sought at any cost. 
There is, in fact, a real furor, or madness, which arises 
from disease, and is not a mere moral aberration, as 
uninformed people suppose. 

Satyriasis arises from a disease of the sexual organs 
or of some of the adjoining parts, which keeps them 
in a constant state of irritation, sometimes so great 
that the patient cannot obtain the slightest relief, 
either sleeping or awake, but is kept the whole time in 
a state of furious excitement. 

The diseases that are most likely to produce Satyri- 
asis are those of the urethra and prostate gland, though 
sometimes gravel, or even the piles will originate it. 
Dr. Curling remarks that u The irritation attending the 
morbid condition of the mucous membrane of the 
prostatic portions of the urethra tends, in a very mate- 
rial degree, to excite both the excessive seminal dis- 
charge and the secretions of the prostate, and to pro- 
duce that morbid craving for indulgence and abuse 
which persons who have brought themselves to this 
state find so difficult to repress and resist. It is well 
known that any irritation at the orifice of an excretory 
duct usually acts as a stimulus to the secretion of the 
gland. Thus, hurtful matter in the duodenum pro- 
duces a flow of bile, and a foreign body in the con- 
junctiva, as an inverted eyelash, a discharge of tears. 
So it is with the Testes, when irritation exists at the 
301 



302 MORAL DERANGEMENTS. 

Orifices of their excretory ducts. The disorder at this 
part, moreover, appears to react on the brain, and to 
become, in part, the cause of the patient's mind being 
constantly occupied with subjects of sexual excitement, 
and of his indifference and apathy to other matters. 
So that the local disease induced by abuse powerfully 
aids in perpetuating the mischief, and, judging from- 
the experience which I have had in these cases, is 
the object to which our treatment should be first 
directed." 

In many of these cases it is of no use reasoning with 
the patient, and telling him to control himself, unless 
the exciting disease be also corrected; it would, in 
short, be of little more use than telling him he must 
not give way to a diarrhoea or any other morbid action. 
In a note in Dr. Curling's work this truth is well laid 
down, and applied to a class of cases for which usually 
no excuse is thought to exist. The writer says : 
" This is a truth, I fear, not sufficiently impressed on 
the minds of medical men. One would be loath to 
offer an apology for the vicious habits and indulgences 
to which, it is well known, old men are occasionally ad- 
dicted, — a melancholy example of the kind, in the 
higher ranks of life, having lately been brought under 
public notice. I cannot but think, however, that, in 
many instances, these cases are not undeserving of 
professional sympathy, and that the erotic longings 
which sometimes continue to distress the aged long 
after the period at which, in the course of nature, they 
should have ceased, depend as much on physical in- 
firmity as mental depravity, the former inciting and 
producing the morbid desires. If these propensities 
were regarded and treated as symptoms of disease 
(and that they frequently occur in connexion with 
affections of the urinary passage is well known to prac- 
tical surgeons), I believe they would often subside, and 
the distressing results to which they lead would be 
altogether avoided. " 

The same remarks also apply to every other period 
of life, and especially to youth, as every physician of 



MORAL DERANGEMENTS. 303 

experience in such matters must be well aware. I 
know that, in numerous instances, the sexual feelings 
of young persons are preternaturally excited by local 
disease, and that their genital organs are thus kept in 
a state of excitement by causes over which they have 
no control. This fact should be kept always in view 
when considering such cases, and we should recollect 
that a medical prescription may often accomplish re- 
form, when a moral precept has failed, of which the 
foregoing chapters of this work will furnish many illus- 
trations. 

I was once consulted by a married man, the father 
of a family, whose habits had always been strictly 
moral and proper, but who suddenly found himself 
subject to occasional fits of the most intense sexual ex- 
citement, over which he had but little control. So 
completely was he the slave of his morbid feelings, in 
fact, that it was with the greatest difficulty he kept 
himself from the most disgraceful and licentious indul- 
gence. He had latterly shut himself up alone when 
one of these fits came on, and was at other times in 
constant fear that he should sometime or other ruin 
his reputation forever, even if he did nothing more 
serious. The condition of this man was truly pitiable, 
subject as he was to a state of misery for which, if it 
were known, he would receive condemnation instead of 
sympathy. " Every one would tell me," he remarked, 
with tears in his eyes, "that it was disgraceful, and 
that I ought not to give way to it, but I cannot help it 
though it were to save my life, and I have sent for you 
because I think you must understand my true posi- 
tion." — I found on examination that this gentleman 
was affected with a chronic inflammation of the pros- 
tate gland and lower part of the urethra, which was 
liable,, from various slight causes, to become temporar- 
ily worse, and to produce that excitation of the geni- 
tals above described. He distinctly remembered that 
before each of the fits he had either taken some severe 
exercise, or been subject to some unusual mental agita- 
tion," or perhaps had committed some error in drink or 



304 MORAL DERANGEMENTS. 

diet, which seemed to bring it on. But of late the 
parts had become so extremely sensitive that the sim- 
plest excitement, of any kind, brought on an attack, 
and it was scarcely possible for him to avoid one long 
together. 

I immediately informed him of the cause of his 
trouble, and as it was not the result of abuse of any 
ki^nd, and apparently not unusually severe, I felt justi- 
fied in promising him relief, and immediately put him 
under proper treatment. — The diet and drink were 
rigidly regulated, bathing and regular exercise en- 
joined, and a tonic of Iron and Gentian administered. 
I also found it necessary to use the caustic internally, 
and to advise astringent lotions, with occasional injec- 
tions to keep the bowels free. Under this treatment 
the irritation soon began to subside, and in two 
months he had no return of his erotic fits. — Now, if 
this man had committed some gross immorality during 
one of these periods of excitement, it would have been 
considered merely as the result of moral depravity, 
and nothing would have been thought of but punish- 
ment, instead of medical treatment. — It is, unfor- 
tunately, true that moral depravity is often the only 
cause of such improper actions, and then they ought 
to be visited accordingly ; my object here is not to 
apologize for anything of that kind, but simply to show 
that there are often other cases, of a totally different 
character, which should be considered in a different 
light. 

Satyriasis is very apt to follow from the first at- 
tempt at masturbation and from excessive indulgence, 
particularly in those who use stimulating food or 
drink. — I have also known tobacco and opium to bring 
on an attack, and still more frequently certain medi- 
cines when improperly used, such as cantharides and 
phosphorus. 

Erotomania differs from Satyriasis as respects the 
seat of the disease, which in this case is in the brain, 
and not in the genitals ; they being affected only sec- 
ondarily. It is, in fact, a species of mania, or insanity, 



MORAL DERANGEMENTS. 305 

in which the mind is constantly occupied with sexual 
matters, and a constant morbid desire is experienced 
for indulgence, sometimes even when the patient is com- 
pletely impotent. Dr. Copeland draws the distinc- 
tion between the two diseases very clearly ; and I will, 
therefore, quote his words, merely remarking that 
Nymphomania, to which he refers, is merely the same 
disease in the female as Satyriasis in the male : — 

"Erotomania — Monomanie erotique of ESQUIROL — 
is characterized by an excessive love of some object, real 
or imaginary. — It is a mental affection in which amor- 
ous ideas are as fixed and dominant as religious ideas are 
in religious monomania or melancholia. Erotomania 
is very different from satyriasis and nymphomania. In 
the latter, the mischief is in the reproductive organs ; in 
the former, it is in the mind. The one is a physical, 
the other a moral, disorder. Erotomania is the result 
of an excited imagination, unrestrained by the powers 
of the understanding; satyriasis and nymphomania 
proceed from the local irritation of the sexual organs, 
reacting upon the brain, and exciting the passions be- 
yond the restraints of reason. In the former there is 
neither indecency nor the want of chastity; in the lat- 
ter there is unrestrained expression of sexual desire and 
excitement. The one is commonly caused by ungrati- 
fied or disappointed affection excited in a virtuous 
mind ; the other by inordinate irritation or indulgence 
of the sexual passion. 

- ik In erotomania, the eyes are bright, the manner 
and expressions tender and passionate, and the actions 
free, without passing the limits of decency. Self and 
selfish interests are all forgotten in the devotion paid, 
often in secret, to the object of the mind's adoration. 
A state of ecstasy often occurs in the contemplation of 
the perfections which the imagination attaches to the 
object of its admiration. The bodily functions lan- 
guish during this state of moral disorder ; the coun- 
tenance becomes pale and depressed ; the features 
shrunk; the body emaciated; the temper inquiet 



306 MORAL DERANGEMENTS. 

and irritable ; and the mind agitated and despairing. 
The ideas continually revert to the loved and desired 
object; and opposition or endeavors to turn them 
in a different direction only render them more con- 
centrated and determined in their devotion. At last, 
parents and fortune are abandoned ; social ties broken 
asunder ; and the most painful difficulties are encoun- 
tered in order to obtain the object of admiration. 

" In some cases the attempts made by the patient 
to conceal and overcome. this affection occasion a state 
of irritative fever, with sadness, depression, loss of ap- 
petite, emaciation, etc., which has not inappropriately 
been termed by Lorry Erotic Fever j and which, 
after continuing an indeterminate period, may even 
terminate fatally. When a young person becomes sad, 
absent in mind, pale and emaciated, sighs frequently, 
sheds tears without any obvious reason, is incapable 
of mental or bodily exertion, scarcely speaks to any 
one, loses appetite, etc., it is sufficiently evident that 
the mind is inordinately possessed by some desired 
object. If a strong effort be not made to dispossess it 
of the predominant sentiment, or if the object of desire 
be not obtained, the symptoms become still more dis- 
tressing. The corporeal functions languish ; the eyes 
sink ; the pulse becomes weak and irregular ; and the 
nights disturbed and sleepless. At last a form of slow 
hectic is produced ; and the weaker organs, especially 
the lungs and heart, are the seat of slowly-produced 
disease ; the whole frame is blighted ; and the patient 
sinks from the injurious influence of the mental affec- 
tion on the vital organs. 

"This form of moral disorder may increase and af- 
fect the intellect in a much more serious manner, until 
general insanity or mania is developed ; and, with the. 
progress of time, it may at last terminate in dementia, 
or incoherent insanity. In each of these, the primary 
character of the disorder, or the original moral affec- 
tion, will still continue to be manifested by the frequent 
suggestion of the same main ideas, or recurrence to 
the object of devotion." 



MORAL DERANGEMENTS. 307 

The treatment of tiiese cases requires great skill 
and experience on the part of the physician, and fre- 
quently a continued observation for a long time, in 
order to determine what the exciting cause really is. 
It may be wholly moral or wholly physical, or it may 
be partly both, and this must be ascertained before 
any good can be accomplished. The fact is, philoso- 
phy is required as much as physiology ; and the most 
perfect confidence must exist between the physician and 
the patient. The affections have often much to do 
with these peculiar troubles, and it should not be for- 
gotten that there is a great difference in the tempera- 
ments of different persons, and also in the sensitiveness 
or impressibility of their natures. — Those who wish to 
study the philosophy of this curious subject in relation to 
the other sex, should read the articles on Hysteria and 
Chlorosis in my ' * Diseases of Woman. " Some persons 
always recommend marriage in these cases to single 
persons, and there is no doubt but it is sometimes 
what is required, but at other times it is highly im- 
proper. In certain forms of physical derangement, 
especially, marriage would only aggravate the evil, 
and the patient would in all probability ultimately be- 
come totally unfit for the married state. This advice, 
therefore, if followed, would not only fail of doing any 
good to persons so situated, but would make two un- 
happy instead of one. — It will be seen that some forms 
of Erotomania are indentical with what is called, com- 
monly, Love Sickness. 

See also the Marriage Guide, and The Origin of 
Life, 



CHAPTER XI. 

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE PRESERVATION AND 
RESTORATION OF THE SEXUAL POWERS. 

, This Chapter is intended to embrace all those items 
of information, and those interesting facts not directly- 
needed in any of the previous articles, but which never- 
theless it is useful to know. Some of these are moral, 
some medical, and some physiological, and the whole 
of them will be found highly suggestive, as well as di- 
rectly instructive. It is precisely this kind of informa- 
tion that is very frequently most needed, but hitherto 
there has been no source, except dear-bought experi- 
ence, from which it could be obtained. The grand 
object of medical science should be to prevent disease, 
if possible, rather than merely attempt to cure it, and 
such knowledge as this Book imparts is an important 
agent in prevention. 

It is unfortunately the case, as our previous articles 
have shown, that the sexual power is liable to be im- 
paired, or even totally lost, from a variety of causes, 
and that it is exceedingly difficult of restoration. There 
are, however, many apparently simple rules which, if 
duly observed, will prevent much of the injury now ex- 
perienced, and there are also many others equally sim- 
ple which will often materially assist in its restoration. 
The object of this Chapter is to point out many of 
these, chiefly in the form of suggestions and hints ; the 
strictly medical treatment having been fully entered 
into already. 

It is very essential to the preservation of the sexual 
power that the general health should be good, and 
that there should be no serious derangements of any of 
the vital functions. When the general health is im- 
paired, and the vital energies are low, the sexual organs 
308 



GENERAL REMARKS, 309 

are sure to be weakened, and usually more in propor- 
tion than any of the others. Owing to their extensive 
sympathies, also, they are sure to be affected by the dis- 
eases of all the other organs, and not unfrequently this 
sympathetic injury becomes very serious. The stom- 
ach, particularly, exerts a great influence over the gen- 
erative organs, both beneficial and injurious. Long- 
continued dyspepsia is nearly always accompanied by 
weakened sexual power and desire, and even temporary 
attacks of indigestion will, for a time, produce similar 
effects. On the other hand, a healthy stomach, with 
perfect digestion and nutrition, is highly conducive to 
sexual vigor. We may even go much further, and 
show that high feeding is nearly sure to over-excite the 
genital organs, or ? in other words, that gluttony leads 
to licentiousness. This is a truth too often lost sight 
of in the education of children, many of whom, though 
predisposed to sexual ardor, are stimulated with rich 
food and exciting drinks till their passions become 
overpoweringly strong. — In short, the stomach exerts 
a most decided influence over the generative organs, 
and we are thus enabled, by proper attention to the 
diet and drink, to either increase or weaken their 
power to a great extent. 

Some kinds of food stimulate the sexual organs, 
while other kinds have the contrary effect upon them. 
Fish, as before stated, is usually stimulating, owing to 
the phosphorus it contains, but shell-fish is probably 
the most stimulating. Flesh-meat is stimulating merely 
because it is nutritious, but it is a great mistake to 
suppose that it is of necessity more so than vegetables. 
There are some vegetables that are often more stimu- 
lating than flesh, especially those that are farinaceous 
or contain much- starch, as the potato for instance, 
which, when of good quality, contains most of the 
elements the body needs. Most strong tasted or aro- 
matic vegetables have a stimulating effect, such as 
Celery, Parsnips, Onions, and Asparagus especially; 
and so have all seasoning herbs, such as Mint, Sage, 
Pennyroyal, and Thyme, Spices and condiments have 



310 GENERAL REMARKS. 

a still stronger action, especially the Peppers and Nut- 
meg. — Mushrooms stimulate some people very much, 
and Truffles still more ; and even Olives exert a marked 
influence at times. The flesh of birds I think is not 
stimulating, except that which is red — such as ducks 
and geese. I have several times been assured that 
eating freely of the Canvass-back duck, when in sea- 
son, has been highly beneficial to those who were 
weakened by excess, probably partly from its own 
nature, and partly from the wild Celery on which it 
feeds. Of all meats, however, Turtle has the greatest 
reputation for exciting the generative organs, and, I 
think, with good reason. It is, undoubtedly, highly 
nutritious, and it appears also to contain some heating 
principle, which especially affects those parts. 

As a general rule all watery vegetables, such as 
turnips, cabbage, and squash, have no such effect as 
those enumerated, and are therefore proper when we 
wish to keep down excitement. Acid fruits also come 
under the same category, and, indeed, fruits generally, 
except some highly flavored ones — such as peaches 
and pine-apples, which are undoubtedly aphrodisiac, 
except they disagree with the stomach. 

Tomatoes are rather stimulating, and so are most 
kinds of beans, especially the Lima Beans, but peas 
are not so. Wheaten Bread, or wheaten flour in any 
form, is more stimulating than the flour of any other 
grain, while Indian meal is probably the least so. 
When we desire an anaphrodisiac effect, therefore, 
Indian bread should be used, with mush, samp, or 
hominy, instead of wheaten bread or potatoes. Rice 
is unstimulating, but sago, tapioca, and arrow-root are 
often the reverse. 

In regard to drinks, it may be stated that all alco- 
holic liquors are highly stimulating when first taken, 
but they soon lose their power if used too long or in- 
temperately, and then they become injurious. Wine 
has a more strengthening effect than spirits of any 
kind, and ale or porter is still better than wine. Those 
who desire to keep their passions down should not 



GENERAL REMARKS. 311 

take either wine or malt liquor in any quantity. Most 
of the cordials in use are highly exciting owing to the 
spices they contain, and so are many of the so-called 
bitters. Coffee is almost as stimulating as wine, and 
should never be used by those who are disposed to in- 
voluntary emissions, nor by those whose desires are too 
strong. Tea is different from coffee in this respect, 
and is therefore the better drink in such cases. Milk, 
though highly nutritious, is not stimulating, and it 
therefore forms an excellent drink for those who are 
disposed to emissions or exciting dreams; such per- 
sons, however, will do better to use cold water only, 
and they should also avoid all warm fluids, no matter 
how simple, because warm drinks always excite the 
flow of urine, and of course stimulate the sexual organs 
also. Those who cannot use the cold water only may 
drink soda and mineral waters as much as they choose, 
or lemonade if it agrees with them, none of these being 
in the least degree exciting. 

Next to the stomach, it is important to attend to the 
state of the bowels, as they exercise considerable influ- 
ence over the generative organs, and may affect them 
in a very injurious manner. The bad effect of piles 
has already been alluded to, and also constipation, but 
this last disability is of more consequence than it has 
perhaps been represented to be. No person must 
expect to escape seminal weakness who is habitually 
constipated, no matter how vigorous and healthy the 
genital organs themselves may appear to be. It is, 
therefore, very important, as a means of preserving 
sexual vigor, that the bowels should be always properly 
regulated, and frequently a little attention to this point, 
in cases of disability, is all that is needed to complete 
a recovery. The opposite state, diarrhoea, though of 
course weakening is not so decidedly hurtful as consti- 
pation, and its effects are soon recovered from. 

Next to the stomach and bowels the urinary organs 
may be mentioned as exerting great influence over the 
sexual system. The proof of this has already been 
given, but I think it necessary to call attention to the 



312 GENERAL REMARKS. 



fact here as one of the very first importance. If the 
kidneys or bladder be affected in any way the genital 
organs are sure to be affected likewise, and if the urine 
has an irritating quality, it is nearly certain to act on 
the urethra and ducts, so as to cause sexual excitement 
or spermatorrhoea. This is particularly important in 
regard to children, many of whom are disposed to pre- 
cocious virility or to masturbation, simply from being 
afflicted with gravel or with some disease of the kidney 
or bladder. Those children most liable to such troub- 
les usually find it difficult to hold their urine during 
the night, and it is very high colored, with a strong 
odor. Such children are very apt to be subject to 
spermatorrhoea in after-life, and also to be - addicted to 
self-abuse ; it is, therefore, very important that all such 
affections of the urinary organs should be promptly 
attended to. At every after-period of life, also, such 
matters require serious attention ; for many a man is 
kept diseased and impotent by the same causes, which 
may operate so powerfully as to neutralize all attempts 
at cure while they remain active. When any of these 
diseases exist, at any period, it is requisite, of course, 
that the diet and drink should be regulated especially 
in reference to them, the urinary organs being readily 
affected by those agents. 

Constant and healthy exercise of the whole muscular 
system is also of great importance to the preservation 
of sexual power. It is true that if a man takes little 
exertion, particularly if he lives high, he will be apt to 
exhibit an unusual tendency to amorous indulgence, 
because, as before remarked, gluttony and idleness 
lead to licentiousness. This effect, however, is only a 
temporary one, and sooner or later the individual finds 
that he has ftermaiiently exhausted his vital energy, 
and that his health and strength is seriously impaired. 
The vital power that may be safely expended in sexual 
indulgence is only the surplus, after every part of the 
system has appropriated its due amount, and, if more 
be so expended, some part must suffer. In other words, 
we may suppose that every healthy man has a certain 



11 



GENERAL REMARKS. 313 

stock of vital energy, which we will call his capital \ to 
which he keeps adding, more or less, by the function 
of nutrition ; this addition may be compared to interest 
which may be expended without any loss of capital, 
and of course without making him any poorer. If, 
however, by any excess he expends more than this 
addition, the capital is proportionably diminished, and 
permanently too », for it can seldom be again made up. 

Now, the idle man does not expend enough vital 
energy on his muscular system to keep it healthy, but 
at the same time gives a superabundance of it to the 
sexual organs, so that they are over-stimulated, and 
suffer from excess. They become habituated to great 
indulgence, and are constantly causing a drain on the 
vital power, that soon exhausts both principal and in- 
terest, and leaves the individual completely exhausted. 

The philosophy of this has been frequently alluded 
to in the course of the present work, but it is so im- 
portant that I wish to present it in a strong light. I 
am fully persuaded that there is no case of precocious 
or excessive sexual propensity, unless caused by dis- 
ease, that cannot be easily subdued by muscular ex- 
ercise. No matter how vigorously the seminal glands 
may act, in a state of leisure, they must become less 
active if the body be exhausted by active exertion, and 
to this rule there is scarcely any limit. One of the 
Reports of the Massachusetts Lunatic Asylum strongly 
impresses this truth, and shows conclusively that we 
have, in hard labor, a certain ?neans of subduing this 
propensity to its proper limits under any circumstances. 
The application of this truth to young persons is 
obvious, numbers of them being made licentious only 
by bodily inactivity and over-feeding. 

The invalid, or the man whose powers are impaired, 
must, of course, husband his strength, because he does 
not require exhaustion, but only sufficient exercise to 
ensure health. 

Exercise of the mind is also equally as important as 
exercise of the body. The man who is mentally idle 
is nearly certain to experience too strongly the force of 



314 GENERAL REMARKS. 

the animal propensities, and licentious thoughts are too 
often indulged in, merely from the absence of better 
ones. It must be recollected, however, that too much 
mental exertion, particularly if attended with care and 
anxiety, is most destructive to the sexual power, and 
frequently leads to impotence, as many of our cases 
have shown. Those who wish, therefore, to preserve 
their virility should endeavor to maintain a happy 
medium, laboring with the mind sufficiently for health 
and utility, and endeavoring to preserve perfect calm- 
ness and equanimity. This subject was explained in 
one of our former chapters on Impotence, and the re- 
marks there made may be again referred to, in con- 
nexion with these, with advantage. 

There are many indulgences which people allow 
themselves, some of which are apparently very simple, 
that exert a decided influence over the sexual organs, 
and in time impair their power. Some of these have 
been alluded to, particularly the use of tobacco and 
other narcotics, but there are some others also deserv- 
ing of notice, though of less consequence. Some per- 
sons are much affected by odors, which operate either 
as stimulants or as sedatives to the nervous system, 
and sometimes produce peculiar effects. That there 
are odors that specially excite the sexual instinct is be- 
yond question, some naturally and others artificially, 
though different people experience their effects in very 
different degrees. There are also other odors that ex- 
ert an opposite influence, though seldom in so decided 
a manner. Very sensitive people, particularly those in 
whom the sexual instinct is naturally strong, may be as 
much excited by a mere scent as by a medicine con- 
veyed into the stomach, as I have frequently seen. 
Hysteria is often excited in this way in females, as I 
have shown in my work on the Diseases of Women, 
and various forms of nervous excitement frequently 
supervene in the other sex from the same cause. 

It may be stated, as a general rule, that all powerful 
odors may produce effects of this kind, and they are, 
therefore, better avoided, particularly the habitual use 



GENERAL REMARKS. 315 

of them. There are some particular scents that exhibit 
this power more constantly, and to a greater degree 
than others, and several of these are articles of com- 
mon use in the toilette. An enumeration of these 
would embrace many of the choicest perfumes used, 
but it is scarcely possible to particularize among so 
many, nor is it necessary, as the whole are better 
avoided. The very origin and natural use of some 
of these indicates clearly enough the purpose 
Nature intended them to fulfill, in the animals from 
which they are taken, and I cannot but think that few, 
females at least, would use them if they really knew 
what they were. Musk, especially, is an article of this 
kind, the aphrodisiac effects of which I have sometimes 
seen exhibited in the most unequivocal manner. 

The readers of classic poetry will call to mind the 
story of the Indian Prince^ who exhibited such mar- 
vellous powers merely from smelling the flowers of the 
Nymftha odorata, and also several other instances in 
which the aphrodisiac power of different odors is dis- 
tinctly alluded to, showing that the general truth was 
known centuries ago. Some of these accounts are, of 
course, much exaggerated, but most of them are 
founded upon actual truths, as I have in some cases 
proved, and I believe the statement about the Ny?nfiha 
is one that is entitled to consideration. 

Perhaps, however, the most important suggestions, 
as regards the preservation of the procreative power, 
are those relating to its actual use. It is well known, 
respecting all the other vital functions, that their 
healthy performance and preservation depends mate- 
rially upon their being exercised at proper times, and 
under proper circumstances, and it is the same with the 
generative functions. Many persons think, because 
the genital organs are usually capable of action at any 
time, and under almost any circumstances, that it is 
therefore of little consequence what time is chosen, nor 
under what circumstances it may be. This, however, 
is a great mistake, as any one may soon discover by 
studying his own experience. 



316 GENERAL REMARKS. 

The time for sexual indulgence should be so chosen 
that the temporary excitement and after-exhaustion re- 
sulting from it may not interfere with any of the bodily 
or mental functions, nor distress the system by neces- 
sitating too much effort during any needful exertion. 
Ignorance of this important rule, and consequent 
neglect of it, very often leads to great inconvenience, 
and even serious mischief. Sexual indulgence just 
after eating is nearly certain to be followed by indi- 
gestion, even if it does not cause immediate vomiting, 
owing to the temporary loss of nervous power thereby 
produced, which arrests the action of the stomach. 
Just before eating, also, the same evils may follow, from 
the stomach being made so weak that digestion cannot 
properly commence, and the food consequently fer- 
ments. Many times I have heard men confirm this 
truth, when explained to them, though they had prev- 
iously never dreamt that their troubles arose from 
such a cause, and when our previous explanations are 
borne in mind, respecting the nervous sympathies of 
the sexual organs, the philosophy of it will be evident. 
The proper time for this indulgence therefore, in refer- 
ence to taking food, is at a sufficient interval after eat- 
ing for digestion to be nearly acomplished, and before 
another meal begins to be needed. By observing this 
rule the action of the stomach is not interfered with, 
and no indigestion or nausea are likely to follow. It is 
true, that men experience stronger desire for indulgence 
immediately after a full meal, particularly when stimu- 
lating drinks have been used, but this does not prove 
that they choose the best time. The desire they then 
experience is merely a factitious one, produced by the 
general excitement of the whose system, and the ex- 
haustion afterwards felt is nearly always in proportion. 
In the same manner a man, while under excitement 
from alcohol, may feel disposed to great bodily activity, 
and may exhibit astonishing strength, but when the 
stimulus is withdrawn he feels a corresponding prostra- 
tion and lassitude. This is also the reason why sexual 
indulgence should not be sought during such excitement, 



GENERAL REMARKS. 317 

for the disposition is nearly sure to be stronger than 
natural, and the over-excitement is followed by propor- 
tionate exhaustion. In Poetry, I am aware, Venus and 
Bacchus are associated together, but Poetry is not always 
Physiology, nor even common sense, nor should the 
licentious furor produced by wine be in any way consid- 
ered as the promptings of nature. 

Upon the same principles it is obviously injudicious 
to seek indulgence just previous to any mental effort 
being made, because the vital energy will be too much 
exhausted to allow of such effort being made with 
advantage. Nor is it advisable immediately after any 
great mental effort, because it is injurious to have two 
causes of exhaustion in action at the same time. The 
same remarks also apply to 7nuscular exercise, which 
should neither immediately follow nor closely precede 
sexual indulgence, for the reasons above given. In 
short, the period chosen should be one when both body 
and mind can enjoy repose, at least for a short period, 
both before and after, and when none of the functions 
are likely to be disturbed. 

The time of day is a matter of secondary importance, 
or rather, no preferable time can be named, because it 
must so much depend upon how the individual is 
circumstanced. That of course will be the best time 
when the above-mentioned rules can be most fully 
observed. Some medical writers suggest the evening, 
because the business of the day is then over and the 
repose of night is to follow, and this probably is the 
best period, generally speaking. Others again recom- 
mend the morning, because there is then the greatest 
vigor, and in case of conception the offspring may be 
benefited thereby. This, however, I feel assured, is a 
bad suggestion, for the business of the day will be very 
apt to oppress a man who starts exhausted, and the 
various functions of his system will very likely be im- 
perfectly performed. The notion about the offspring 
being influenced at the moment of conception, by the 
state of the male system, I have already shown the 
fallacy of, because that moment may not nearly cor- 
respond with the period of association. 



318 GENERAL REMARKS. 

The duration of the sexual power, like any other, 
materially depends on the manner in which it is used, 
and this should therefore be duly considered by those 
who think its preservation worth striving for. A cer- 
tain amount of natural indulgence is probably essential, 
in most cases, to perfect health, but when that amount 
is exceeded of course more or less permanent injury 
results, as before shown. Every individual should, 
therefore, endeavor to ascertain, for his own guidance, 
the proper limits to his gratification, and if he will 
attend to what has been previously stated on this point 
that limit may be readily ascertained. By doing this 
a real gain will always be made, for the extra duration 
of the power which this will ensure will more than 
compensate for any temporary denial. With some 
people whose systems are in regular action, and whose 
health is nearly uniform, the observance of a regular 
period is found to be advantageous, and highly con- 
ducive to the preservation of the virile power, as it 
prevents both excess and gradual decline. 

These hints and suggestions, though apparently 
simple and common-place, are nevertheless of great 
value, and if duly observed would probably do more 
towards preventing untimely decay than all the medi- 
cal treatment ever practised. Decay is caused, in nu- 
merous instances, by a number of small causes operating 
together, and if each of these be removed, as they 
may generally be, the decay is, of course, prevented. 
People are too apt to take notice only of the more 
striking agents of destruction, passing unnoticed these 
apparently simple ones, as being of small consequence, 
while in reality they are the most important. 

There are few persons of good health who will at- 
tend to the above suggestions, and the advice formerly 
given, but what may preserve their powers to an in- 
definite period of their existence, particularly if they 
practice cold local bathing over the parts, and avoid all 
improper excitement. — There is no particular time of 
life when the powers of the male system decay, but they 
may be preserved to extreme old age ? as many cases 



GENERAL REMARKS. 319 

have proved. — Old Parr, for instance, was condemned 
to do Penance, when over a hundred years aid, for 
an amorous intrigue, and he had several children after 
that period. 

There are some other circumstances, connected with 
the association of the sexes, that exert an important 
influence over the duration and manifestation of the 
sexual power, but as they do not concern man alone it 
is not necessary to enter fully into a consideration of 
them here, but merely to point them out as concerning 
both sexes. 

There is no doubt but that Nature has instituted, 
in numerous instances at least, if not universally, a pe- 
culiar fitness, or adaptation between particular individ- 
uals of opposite sexes, that makes them more appro- 
priate companions to each other in marriage than 
they can ever be to others. And, on the contrary, it 
is equally certain that there is as great an unfitness in 
some individuals, so that their union is in every way 
objectionable. This adaptation may be either mental, 
moral, or physical, or it may be all three ; and some- 
times it consists in something we cannot understand, 
though its existence is too obvious to admit of dispute. 
Nature frequently exhibits won4erful sympathies and 
antipathies which we cannot comprehend, but which 
should be attended to, as far as possible, in making 
our arrangements, for it is always injurious to run 
counter to them. There are many causes of unfitness, 
and consequent unhappiness, that could be discovered 
before marriage, and many others that could be cor- 
rected after, if the parties possessed a certain amount 
of physiological knowledge; but, unfortunately, such 
knowledge is seldom obtained in time, and the conse- 
quences must be experienced. Is is not my purpose 
to discuss this matter fully here, but merely to show 
its bearing upon the subject now being discussed. 
There is no question but that association between per- 
sons properly adapted to each other is less exhaustive, 
and may be more frequently indulged, than between 
those who are naturally unfitted to be companions. 



320 GENERAL REMARKS. 

And it is also certain that the circumstances under 
which the association occurs may very much determine 
the effect it will have. It is requisite, for the act to be 
truly pleasurable and advantageous, that it should be 
fully approved both by the feelings and the judgment, 
otherwise it will be more or less regretted, and more or 
less injury will follow, no matter what amount of mere 
animal gratification was experienced. This is the rea- 
son why mere licentious debauchery is always followed 
by remorse and ill health, while legitimate association 
in marriage with a loved and respected partner leads to 
no such evil results. It is a fact equally important to 
individuals, and to society at large, that the institution 
of marriage is conducive both to health and to happi- 
ness, and that the duration of life, in both sexes, 
is longer in that state than in any other. Many men 
fall into a great error in regard to this subject, and 
suppose that they can realize more pleasure in the un- 
licensed indulgence of the single state than when mar- 
ried. This is, however, a fatal mistake, for they really 
enjoy less, and are after all dissatified with themselves, 
while the duration of their powers is materially short- 
ened. 

Some little time ago I had a very interesting conver- 
sation on this subject with a Swedenborgian, who re- 
marked that many of the principles laid down in my 
lectures exactly corresponded with his spiritual views 
on marriage, and that his own experience fully corrob- 
orated the truth of what I had stated. He told me 
that in his youth he was unfortunately led into a licen- 
tious course of life, and experienced in consequence all 
that self-accusation and loss of real pleasure which I 
described, but that since his marriage, and in conse- 
quence of the important truths learned from Sweden- 
borg's writings, he had subjected his passions to the 
control of reason, and had led, as he expressed it, a new 
life. He assured me that, with the partner of his 
bosom, association was never followed by exhaustion to 
either, but on the contrary by a feeling of increased 
strength and pleasure to both ; and I have no doubt 



GENERAL REMARKS. 321 

but he spoke the literal truth, for I have been fre- 
quently told the same by others. He regarded this as 
a spiritual effect, while / looked upon it as a simple 
physiological one ; but be that as it may, the fact is 
important, both as regards health and morals. 

Another important requisite for the healthy action 
and extended duration of the sexual power, in both, is 
a near correspondence in age. Experience has proved 
beyond doubt that, when there is a great disparity of 
age in marriage, the elder person is nearly sure to 
benefit at the expense of the younger, sometimes even 
sufficiently to compensate for the loss resulting from 
great excess. This fact was acted upon medically in 
former times, and is now even in some countries, by 
procuring young females to sleep with old men, so 
that they may be strengthened thereby, which they 
nearly always are, though the females suffer a corre- 
sponding loss, and not unfrequently waste and die in 
consequence. Such unnatural practices are, there- 
fore, properly discountenanced now, both by reason 
and morality, though we sometimes see a near ap- 
proach to them in marriage. It is even known that 
when children sleep with old persons they suffer from 
it, and sometimes even die, without the causes of 
their sickness being suspected. In all probability 
young men who marry old females suffer in the same 
way, and to an equal extent, providing they are as ex- 
clusive in their companionship ; but there are many 
causes that make it otherwise in their case. 

What constitutes a great disparity of age must of 
course depend upon various circumstances, besides the 
number of years. Some persons are younger at forty, 
or even fifty, in respect to health and probable lon- 
gevity, than others are at twenty- five or thirty, and 
this must be taken into account. Generally speaking, 
however, there should not be much more than ten 
years difference under any circumstances, and only 
half that is better, the man being the elder. 

The explanation of the above-mentioned fact is 
probably this, — all living bodies are constantly, though 



322 GENERAL REMARKS. 

imperceptibly, giving off portions of their substance, 
and these particles thrown off are in the same state, in 
regard to age, and health, or disease, as the body from 
which they emanate. The same bodies are also as 
constantly absorbing, both by the lungs and by the 
skin, whatever is presented to them in a proper 
form, which partly counterbalances the loss. Young, 
healthy persons are, therefore, always giving off a 
stream of fresh wholesome material from their bodies, 
and old or diseased persons as constantly give off a 
stream of morbid and decaying matter, which explains 
why it is that the young suffer and the old benefit 
when they live together. The waste of the old persons 
is in part made up by absorbing the fresh exhalation 
from the young, and they become thereby rejuvenated, 
while the waste of the young persons is only made up 
by absorbing the decaying exhalation from the old, 
and they in consequence speedily decay and become 
old likewise. The celebrated Hufeland, in his "Art 
of Prolonging Life " gives some curious instances of 
the practical application of this fact which are highly 
interesting, in a scientific point of view, though morally 
reprehensible. Among others he tells us of an old 
man who had the superintendence of a kind of alms- 
house, in which were a large number of young girls, in 
whose society he passed nearly the whole of his time. 
He contrived to have a number of them always around 
him, so that he was constantly in an atmosphere as it 
were of youthful exhalation, and by these means he 
preserved his life to an extreme old age, with all his 
powers in full vigor. A similar practice, to a certain 
extent, has even been adopted in London and Paris 
very recently, as was discovered in the evidence on a 
Police Trial. It appeared, from the statements made, 
that a number of poor young married females were 
hired to attend, at certain establishments, for so many 
hours ia the day, to associate with superannuated old 
men. And not only did these young females associate 
in company with the aged patients, but they also sup- 
plied them with what ought to be kept for infantile 



GENERAL REMARKS. 323 

nutriment alone, — in short they acted as wet nurses to 
them ! The results of the practice were said to be 
very satisfactory, to the old men at least ! With persons 
of equal age, and similar condition of health, the exhala- 
tions are similar, and there is an equal loss and gain 
on both sides. D uring sexual excitement the insensible 
exhalation is much increased, and therefore the effects 
above-mentioned are more evident where there is asso- 
ciation, and this perhaps explains, as my Swedenbor- 
gian friend remarked, why it is that in a proper mar- 
riage no exhaustion at all is experioiced, there being 
merely a reciprocal interchange exactly corresponding 
in each. 

GENERAL REMARKS ON DISEASES OF THE TESTES. 

I would here remark that very many cases of dis- 
ease, or simple wasting away of the Testes, are caused 
by the baleful habit of keeping up sexual excitement, 
to prolong enjoyment. Many thoughtless youths will 
prolong the act of masturbation till the Testes seem 
ready to burst with the heated semen. When older, 
they too often do the same thing in connexion, hold- 
ing back the emission as long as possible. Even mar- 
ried people not infrequently are guilty of the same 
practice. 

This is extremely hurtful and dangerous, not only 
at the time, but afterwards. The Testes are engorged 
with heated semen, and so is the Vas Deferens, the 
testicles, and ejaculatory canal. The prostate gland 
also is irritated at the same time, and, in fact, the 
whole sexual system is kept in a state of chronic irrita- 
tion or fever, which must result in mischief sooner or 
later. 

Indulgence in loose thoughts, or licentious reading, 
will act in the same way, and, in fact, many men who 
pride themselves on their continence, as far as women 
are concerned, ruin their sexual powers and health by 
this kind of solitary, vicious indulgence. 

Giving way to loose thoughts is indeed one of the 



324 GENERAL REMARKS. 

things a young man should be the most careful about, 
for he never knows where it may lead him, and it is 
always hurtful. Even when in the company of virtuous 
and innocent females, young men frequently allow their 
thoughts to stray, and they then suffer an amount of 
excitement which often leads to mischief, both im- 
mediate and remote. I have known an evening spent 
in this way to be followed by swelled testicle, or by 
irritation of the urethra and prostate gland. To say 
nothing of the innate indelicacy, and unmanliness of 
such conduct, the possible, or even probable conse- 
quences should deter any young man from it. Sexual 
vice, it should be borne in mind, is not confined to 
actual association with the other sex, but is often 
seen, in its worst forms, in those who pride themselves 
on keeping free from female entanglement. 

In all cases, continued excitement, kept up to the 
point of emission, but not allowing that to take place, 
is more hurtful than when it is followed by actual in- 
dulgence. In all cases, when these organs have been 
irritated to a certain point, even by thoughts alone, the 
semen is sure to be lost, whether there be emission or 
not. If there be no emission, by association or other- 
wise, the semen is lost gradually afterwards, by way 
of the urine, or dribbling like a gleet, and few things 
are more hurtful to a man than this. 

In short, it should be impressed upon every man, 
especially while young, that the vicious habit of keep- 
ing up sexual excitement, as a prolonged indulgence, 
is certain to do him serious injury, both bodily, 
mentally, and morally, for nothing more surely blunts 
the moral sense and injures the brain. Giving way to 
bad thoughts, or indulging in licentious reading and 
conversation, also leads to the same result, and should 
be equally avoided. 

In most cases, these bad habits result more from ig- 
norance than from vicious tendency, and the best cure 
for them is to impart correct knowledge, in time / 



GENERAL REMARKS. 325 



SEXUAL VAGARIES AND PERVERSIONS. 

There are few subjects connected with human ac- 
tions more curious and difficult to account for than 
sexual vagaries and perversions. 

Ordinarily the normal man and woman desire each 
other, and enjoy their mutual communion in the 
mode that unperverted nature prompts ; but in not a 
few instances this is not the case. Men will desire 
to associate with other men, and women with other 
women, instead of with their opposites. In some in- 
stances, even more unnatural, asssociation takes place 
by fornication, in various ways and under various 
different conditions. 

It is not necessary to particularize al] these ; in fact, 
some of them are too disgusting even to mention, 
but a few are comparatively decent enough to ex- 
cuse allusion to them, and they are sufficiently 
common to make some explanation, if possible, de- 
sirable. 

The passion of man for association with other men, 
or even the mere preference for their company, in 
my opinion, is always an indication of disease, either 
of the brain or of the sexual organs. In many cases 
I have found it to follow injuries, or disease of the 
sexual organs, and in other cases insanity has followed, 
thus indicating that it was only one form of mental 
decay. 

Women sometimes take a similar liking to their 
own sex, and have no desire for men. In them it is, 
however, very seldom so fixed a perversion, and in 
most cases they are more easily made natural in their 
likings. I have known women totally indifferent to 
men, even disliking them, but really in love with 
other women, as I have known men in love with other 
men, while hating women. But this total perversion 
of the sexual instinct, as before observed, is, in my 
opinion, always the result of disease, either of the 
brain or of the sexual system. 



326 GENERAL REMARKS. 

It is remarkable how rapidly such total perversion 
sometimes takes place -when once it has begun. And 
hence it becomes important that every one should 
know the danger of indulging unnatural thoughts 
even, let alone unnatural practices ; for once begun 
the downward tendency may soon become irresistible. 
A lewd, unnatural thought or practice, once indulged, 
acting upon a weak or enfeebled brain, may make 
the individual a monstrous and unnatural criminal, 
or an imbecile, forever afterward. 

That such a caution as this is needed every one 
knows who is professionally cognizant of such matters. 
Many wretched victims of unnatural vices have begun 
in ignorance, perhaps from thoughtless levity only, 
and have become hopeless slaves in spite of them- 
selves. Had they known the almost certain result in 
time, many of them — perhaps most of them — would 
have stopped before it was too late. 

The subject is too distressing, not to say disgusting, 
to dwell upon too closely, but it would not be proper 
to pass it over without some notice ; for the evil itself 
is much more extensive than is usually supposed, and is 
largely, I am persuaded, caused and maintained by 
ignorance. It should be universally known that any 
approach even to perversion of the sexual instinct, is 
a serious symptom, and may be the commencement of 
disease, and death, to both body and mind. 

The various contrivances resorted to by masturba- 
tors to cause excitement are beyond enumeration. 
Some of them are horrible, and almost incredible. 
When ordinary means fail to excite, many of them 
resort to extraordinary ones. Surgeons are frequently 
called upon to extract all kinds of things from the 
urethra and bladder which have been introduced to 
cause sexual excitement. Needles, pieces of wire, 
sticks, and wheat straws have been so removed ; and 
one surgeon tells us of a shepherd who, having made 
all the parts he could touch so callous, by constant irrita- 
tion that they were no longer excitable, actually began 
to slit down his penis with a knife to get at a more 



GENERAL REMARKS. 327 

sensitive spot, and kept on doing so till the organ was 
actually divided into two parts down to the root. He 
then could reach the ejaculatory ducts with a bit of 
wood, and thus caused an orgasm. But one day he 
let the piece of wood slip down into the bladder, and 
for its removal had to seek surgical advice, when his 
extraordinary history and condition became known. 

As before remarked, it is useful to refer to these 
pitiful records of human perversity to warn all of the 
danger there is in every departure from Nature in 
sexual matters, and in all excesses of every kind. 
Hence the excuse for these details. No man is safe 
who gives loose rein to his imagination, or who allows 
himself to act in any way contrary to the laws of his 
organization. 

Very many of these cases of perversion, and even of 
simple vagary, I have known to end in epilepsy or 
apoplexy. Paralysis, also, is a frequent accompani- 
ment, and the records of insane establishments will 
show that a large proportion of the inmates were 
made insane from the same causes. 

It is a remarkable fact that the unnatural sexual 
union of men with men has prevailed among all people, 
and from the most remote periods. We read of it in the 
most ancient histories as a common practice and as con- 
nected in some way or other with secret religious rites. 
Neither the Greeks, the Romans, nor their predeces- 
sors were free from it, and it was common among the 
Scythians, who even kept a species of eunuch for the 
purpose, as we are told by Herodotus and others. 

It was not, however, among Pagan nations only 
that the practice prevailed, for we find it spoken of 
in the Bible as prevalent among the children of Israel, 
and the inhabitants of Sodom were so addicted to it 
that the name Sodomy has been derived from them. 

The same thing prevails among savages and barbar- 
ous people in all parts of the world, and with them, 
too, it is often connected with secret religious rites and 
ceremonies. Among our own Indians, especially those 
in the Southwest, such practices are very common, and 



328 GENERAL REMARKS, 

some tribes even make eunuchs of certain of their 
men, and keep them for use in an unnatural way, just 
as was done by the Scythians and other barbarians in 
ancient times in the old world. Among some of the 
Southwestern tribes these unsexed men are even called 
by a particular name, which means womanized man, 
and they live with the women, and dress and act like 
them. Probably eunuchs were originally made to serve 
unnatural purposes as well as to wait on women. 

At the present time Pederasty is well known to be a 
prevalent habit in many places. The reports of the 
French police and the statements of their most emi- 
nent physicians show that in Paris regular clubs of 
Pederasts exist, the members of which meet regularly, 
and keep records of their associations with each other. 
Several of these records have been seized and published 
in the Police Reports upon Les Attentas aux Mceurs. 

Paris, however, is not alone in this matter. If the 
truth were fully known, New York and other cities at 
home are but little better. Nor is the country better 
than the town ; for the most disgusting instances I 
have ever heard of were from remote country places. 



CHAPTER XII. 
MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

RETARDED DEVELOPMENT. 

This was a remarkable instance of Retarded Develop- 
ment from Masturbation, which, fortunately, was partially 
corrected by the subject of it having his attention awak- 
ened in time. I shall first let the individual speak for 
himself, and make my comments and explanations when 
I think most useful. 

To Dr. F. Hollick, Box 3606, 

New York City N. Y* 
My dear sir : 

A short time ago, I attended your Lectures on Paren- 
tal Physiology, in Philadelphia, and from hearing them 
I have determined to address you. I am one of those 
truly pitiable creatures of whom you spoke in the early 
part of your discourse, when referring to Infantile Mas- 
turbation, and I am, perhaps, as painful an instance of 
the awful effects of this practice as you ever saw. When 
you first spoke upon this subject, and portrayed the ter- 
rible after consequences, I was plunged in despair, and 
truly felt desirous to " shuffle off this mortal coil" as 
soon as possible, for to live as I am is impossible. Your 
final remarks, however, gave me some hopes that possi- 
bly it might not be too late for me to recover, at least to 
some extent, and it is for the purpose of having your 
opinion on this point that I now address you. On your 
opinion depends much I assure you ; — I will not, how- 
ever, say further on this point, but proceed to my state- 
ment, which shall he full and truthful, in every particular, 
though it has cost me a severe struggle to make such a 
confession, and it never would have been made, had I 

* This address will always find me at any time. 

330 






MISCELIASE003 CASE3. 



331 



not heard your Lecture. From your excellent discourse, 
however, I felt full confidence both in your skill and in 
your kind sympathy, and I therefore reveal to you what 
I have hitherto concealed from every human being, and 
which, had I not met with you, I should have carried a 
secret to the grave. 

I am the son of parents well to do in the world, and 
who have always, to the best of their knowledge, striven 
to do what was best for me. Unfortunately, however, 
their kind attentions were but imperfectly realized, owing 
to their want of proper information. 

In early childhood I was very stout and robust, full of 
animal spirits, and active to an unusual degree. Every- 
thing seemed to promise that I should grow up a well- 
developed man, but, alas, all such expectations were 
doomed to be disappointed. 

My parents kept a female help expressly to attend upon 
me, whose whole time was occupied in playing with me 
and taking me about. One day she took me with her to 
see some of her friends who lived in a very low part of 
the City (Baltimore), and while engaged gossiping, she 
left me to play with the children of the neighbors, who 
were swarming all around. They were as depraved, 
miserable, and vicious, perhaps, as could be found, and 
child as I was, being not over six years of age, I could 
not help thinking their conduct and language very 
strange. It was new and exciting, however, and that 
was enough to make it interesting, so that in a short 
time I cast off all restraint, and became fully initiated 
into many of their habits and sayings, which I thought 
especially excellent, no doubt. Among the rest was one 
precocious ragamuffin, older than the rest, who under- 
took to explain to them various mysterious points in 
physiology and parentage, and the uses of certain parts 
of their bodies, to which my attention had never before 
been directed. This was done practically -, there being both 
girls and boys present, and none having the slightest ob- 
jection to any kind of exposure, but rather courting it. 
The revelations which I then heard, given in the grossest 
manner, and the sights I saw, have never been effaced 
from my mind, but, young as I was at the time, they are 
as fresh and vivid now as if it occurred but yesterday. 

Among other things, we were all of both sexes, taught 
the habit of Masturbation, to the pleasurable feelings 



332 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

from which I was peculiarly liable, owing to my temper- 
ament, I suppose, and from that time I began to give my- 
self up to the habit. I had command enough of myself 
to keep it secret from my parents, because I felt instinct- 
ively there was something in it they would condemn, 
though I knew not why. My attendant knew, and rather 
encouraged it than otherwise, because it often relieved 
her of the trouble of attending me. In fact, the whole 
group, at the time of the initiation, were surprised, in the 
very midst of their proceedings, by my nurse and one of 
her female friends, who seemed to consider it a capital 
joke, and highly amusing, by the way they laughed 
about it, when describing the scene to their companions. 
She, however, frightened me out of telling any one else 
about it, by assuring me I should be severely punished 
if I did, and besides this, I did not want to do so— it was 
my secret, and in my way I felt quite important about it. 

From this time on I continued more or less, almost 
constantly, to practice this habit, in various ways, till it 
became a perfect furor, and at eight years of age I have 
kept awake for hours together, in the night, in this way. 

The immediate consequences were, that I became puny 
and weak, and irritable in my disposition, to such an 
extent that I was both wretched myself and a source of 
constant discomfort to those around me. To add to my 
misfortune, my parents placed me under the care of a 
Physician, who drugged me, and sent me to the sea side, 
but all to no purpose, for I did not improve in the slight- 
est degree. Study I could only pursue at intervals, and 
in a very flighty manner, and as my memory was bad, I 
fell far behind my schoolmates. 

Things continued more or less in this way till I was 
fourteen years of age, when puberty became established, 
and I began to form Semen. In consequence of this, I 
suppose my sexual desires and feelings grew stronger, or 
perhaps I should say they then first became natural, and 
I indulged more frequently than ever. I have frequently 
expended the semen four or five times a day, for several 
days together, till I became so weak I could scarcely 
walk, and quite childish in my mind. My friends all 
thought I was in a Consumption, and none of them ever 
expected me to live. 

From that time till now / have never grown, and I am 
over twenty-one ! Neither do I seem in any way further 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 333 

developed. I am no heavier, — my voice has the same 
sound, and my Sexual Organs are quite as small as they 
were at fourteen years of age. In some respects, how- 
ever, lam better than I was, and I attribute it all to this 
circumstance. I was one day passing down the street 
and looking into a bookstore window, I saw your Book 
on " The Male Organs" and from curiosity went in and 
bought it. The perusal of that book first opened my 
eyes, and made me begin to think that my weakness and 
sickness was caused solely by Masturbation. It is true, 
I had partially suspected this before, but the impression 
was not strong enough to make me leave off the habit. 
Now, however, I determined to do so, and by hard striv- 
ing I partially succeeded. 

At times I had felt, for a year or two past, much better, 
and my mind became a little stronger, and more settled, 
so that I made up a little for my past . deficiency, and 
began to reflect upon my situation. While in these 
favorable moods I did pretty well, and conquered my 
fatal inclinations, but when the mood passed off, I fell 
back again. 

It was in my seventeenth year when I purchased your 
Book, and from then till now I have been struggling in 
this way, and, on the whole, perhaps, 1 have gained, but 
still very little, and latterly I have begun to fear I should 
never be much otherwise than I am. This fear began to 
haunt me continually, and I had made up my mind to 
come to New York to see you, when I noticed the Ad- 
vertisement of your Lectures here, and, to my great joy, 
had an opportunity of hearing you. After I left the Lec- 
ture-room, I determined, in the first place, to write to 
you, and then if you thought there might possibly be any- 
thing done for me, I would visit you personally. I am 
rich enough in this world's goods, having inherited con- 
siderable property, and am both able and willing to re- 
compense you to any extent you may think requisite, 
within a reasonable amount. Money I value no more 
than the dust under my feet, for unless I can be made a 
man I shall not need it. 

I have thus, my dear sir, made a sufficient confession, 
I hope, to enable you to judge of my case, and I trust 
you will render me your reply as promptly as possible, for 
you may well imagine the agony of suspense in which I 
am. 



334 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

Upon fully considering this letter, I concluded that it 
was possible that the subject of it could be helped, though 
to what extent was uncertain, and so I informed him. 
The result was an interview, in which I found him, as his 
letter described, half developed, puny, and weak minded, 
but still with indications that originally he had been pos- 
sessed of a good constitution. There were also indica- 
tions that nature was even now endeavoring to recover 
her lost ground, and some little growth, with occasional 
increase of mental power, gave hopes for the future. 

At his earnest request I at once commenced to advise 
and to treat him, his circumstances fortunately being such 
that he could live as I choose to direct. In the first place 
I prescribed such a regular course of diet, daily exercise, 
bathing, and friction of the skin, as I thought most likely 
to promote his general health and bodily growth. With 
that I also commenced to treat the genital organs in the 
most active manner, feeling assured that their develop- 
ment would stimulate the whole organization, and add to 
the power of both body and mind. 

The Congester was used daily, with shampooing, and 
my Aphrodisiac Remedy was also used, though very care- 
fully. The result began to be obvious in less than three 
months ! The genital organs increased in size and power. 
The semen was secreted in greater quantity, and the sexual 
desire became strong and natural. The whole body also 
soon began to develop most obviously, so that his friends 
made remark of it, and his mind became more manly in 
its tone, and more steady, so that he was capable of more 
continued mental exertion, and soon extended his acquire- 
ments considerably. One difficulty, however, arose 
which I had forseen, but could not altogether prevent. 
His continued practice of masturbation had of course both 
weakened and irritated the genitals, so that when the se- 
men began to be secreted in greater quantity it could not 
be retained, and he suffered from spermatorrhoea. To 
such an extent did this evil prevail, especially in the 
urinary form (as described in my book on "The Male 
Organs ") that I feared it would counteract all I could do 
By degrees, however, it was overcome, and then the real 
advance commenced in earnest, 

In the course of the next two years he seemed almost 
to leap forward, so rapid was his growth, till I feared he 
would become sickly and weak from it. By good tonic 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. ,1J5 

treatment, however, and constant care, this danger was 
avoided, and he continued to advance, so that in his 
twenty-fifth year he was nearly up to the average standard 
of young men of that age in size, weight and strength. 
His mind was also quite active, and of good ordinary ca- 
pacity, though not capable of very powerful or long con- 
tinued efforts. No one who had known him formerly 
ever supposed it possible for him to become what he was, 
and he himself felt so elated that he entirely overlooked 
the actual deficiencies which still existed, and thought 
himself perfect enough. 

His greatest pleasure was in writing regularly to me, 
and constantly noting the different stages of advance- 
ment, and speculating as to the future. I never knew a 
patient more gratified or more grateful. In one of his 
letters he remarks, " such as I now am you have made 
me, for without your assistance and advice I certainly 
should not be now in existence !" 

The sexual powers of this young man became quite good, 
though irregular in their manifestation, and he was fully 
capable of the duties of married life, but not so frequently 
as in the generality of persons at his age. 

On this case I shall make but few comments, because it 
tells its own tale, in most respects, and the instruction it 
conveys must be obvious. The principal facts indicated 
by it are the arrest of development caused by the loss of 
nervous power from sexual abuse, and the recommence- 
ment of growth when the sexual power became restored. 
If the sexual organs had not grown, and became active, 
no other development would have occurred to any useful 
extent, and if their weakness and irritability had not been 
overcome he would soon have died from spermatorrhoea. 

It was also fortunate that proper attention was bestow- 
ed in time,, before the period when growth is possible had 
passed. In several such instances I have been consulted 
too late, when the time had gone by, that is for the body 
generally, though the sexual organs may often be much 
perfected until nearly the thirtieth year, and of course the 
energy of the system — especially of the mind— along with 
them. 

The moral lessons which such a case conveys, particu- 
larly respecting the patient's childhood, must, I think, be 
clear to all, and do not need special remark. There are 



333 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

more children exposed to similar evils than is usually 
supposed. 



Similar cases to the above I often have communicated 
to me, not only by males but also by females, many of 
whom are taught such practices by their domestics or at 
school. 

In one such instance the patient was perhaps the most 
wretched victim of alternate excitement and depression 
of the nervous system ever seen. At times she was sub- 
ject to fits of almost frenzied agitation, and was so rest- 
less, both bodily and mentally, that she could not sit 
down, nor sleep, nor speak on the same subject two 
minutes together. At other times she w T ould be perfectly 
listless, and almost as if suffering from congestion of the 
brain. Indifferent to all about her, powerless and torpid 
she seemed altogether too low ever to rally again. 

All that could be ascertained about the origin of her 
suffering was that she had been taught the practice of 
masturbation by a female domestic when about ten years 
old. She had never menstruated though nineteen years 
of age when I saw her, and she had many peculiar im- 
perfections in her organization. The pelvis and internal 
organs were unusually small, while the external genitals 
were remarkably large, and singularly irritable. Her 
head was also small, and her muscular system lax. 

The case was interpreted easily enough by these signs. 
Her development was imperfect and irregular from the 
nervous excitement and exhaustion she had undergone 
just previous to puberty, from the habit that had been 
taught her. 

Every means was tried to lessen the irritation of her sys- 
tem, and to perfect her development, but all failed. She 
died before her twentieth year, almost a maniac. 

MICROSCOPICAL EXAMINATION OF THE 
URINE. 

No. i. Represents the appearance of the Semen when 
perfectly healthy, as seen under the microscope. It was 
a portion lost in consequence of straining at stool, from 
constipation, as is very often the case. 






MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 



337 



The Seminal Animalcules -, those minute living beings, 
always found in that fluid, and without which it is imper- 
fect, will be seen perfect in their form, and active in their 
motions. While this state of the vital fluid exist, a man 
will retain his powers, but if it continues to be lost to an 
undue extent — and especially if it pass hi the urine, a 
change occurs — the animalcules become less abundant, 
imperfect in form, and with very feeble powers of motion 
This is shown in No. 2. 




No. 2. This is a portion of Semen contained in the 
urine of a person who had debilitated himself by mastur- 
bation in early life. There are a few animalcules, but 
they are imperfect and very feeble. This Individual had 
but faint amative desires, and but little power. It is pos- 
sible that a man so circumstanced may be capable of as- 
sociation, to a limited extent, and may even become a 
parent, but his children, if he have any, are sure to be 
either deformed, still born, or constitutionally weak I 



338 MISCELLAITEOrS CASES. 

Most usually, however, there is no impregnation, or if 
there be, miscarriage takes place. 

The reason for this is obvious enough to those who 
know the part which the Animalcules perform in origin- 
ating the new being. 

No. 3. This was also taken from the urine of a man 
who had long suffered from Urinary Seminal loss, and 
who had become nearly impotent, with great decay of his 
mental powers, gloomy feelings, general debility, and all 
those distressing symptoms of constitutional decay, which 
invariably follow this disease, if it is not checked. 

In this case the Animalcules are all dead, and the parts 
of the body detached from each other. Impregnation 
from this semen could never take place, though the person 
might still at times, retain slight powers of association. 
Many men are circumstanced in this way — especially 
those long addicted to excesses of any kind, and also 
business men, exhausted by too much anxiety and mental 
labor. 

No. 4. This view was taken from a man wholly and 
hopelessly impotent, and in the last stages of decay, bodily 
and mental. Of course, at this stage, there is neither 
power nor desire. The semen is utterly destitute of 
animalcules and almost substance. It passes almost con- 
stantly in the urine, and is merely like gum water. Dur- 
ing the second and third stages, a man may recover, 
with proper assistance, but in the last stage there is no 
hope. There are many married people without children, 
owing to these imperfections in the male, though it is 
generally thought that it must be from the female. Some 
men are even 7iaturally imperfect in this way, and never 
can be parents, though apparently like other men. The 
true reason for weakly and deformed children, and also 
for frequent miscarriages is also often in the male, though 
not suspected. 

(Dr. H. is daily making microscopical examinations of 
this kind, both for those who call upon him, and for 
others. 

Persons at a distance, who can not possibly pay a per- 
sonal visit to Dr. H. need not give up all hopes of re- 
ceiving proper treatment in any of the above affections. 
Dr. H. can suggest a means by which the necessary ex- 
aminations can be made perfectly, without their coming, 
so that he can advise by regular correspondence, as he 
does constantly with many.) 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 339 

It is scarcely necessary to add, that the strictest confi- 
dence and secrecy is observed in all communications, per- 
sonal or otherwise, and that the most careful atten- 
tion is bestowed upon every case. 



Some years ago I was waited on by a married couple 
of high standing in society, to get my advice in regard to 
their being childless. They had been married nine years, 
both were young, and apparently perfectly healthy. The 
gentleman informed me that, independent of the gratifi- 
cation to their own feelings, which were intense for off- 
spring, it was of the utmost importance they should have 
a child on other accounts. It seems a large property 
was so left that their child would inherit it, if they had 
one, or themselves, as its heirs, even if it died, while if 
they died childless, it would go to a distant connection of 
the family, who was already enormously rich, and a very 
undeserving personage into the bargain. 

Here there were both happiness and wealth at stake, 
and I was requested to do or suggest anything in my 
power. 

The parties were fully communicative, and disposed to 
hear anything, or to discuss anything that I thought nec- 
essary. The result was that I became fully convinced 
the lady was in no way whatever imperfect, but fully 
capable of Conception, and consequently the fault was 
with the Husband. On stating this to him he was amazed, 
and quite incredulous, for, said he, how am I wrong? I 
enjoy the same feelings and the same powers as other 
men, and have a copious Seminal Secretion. I then ex- 
plained to him in what I thought the difficulty consisted, 
and a Microscopical examination of the Semen was at 
once instituted. My surmise proved to be correct. There 
were only a few, very imperfect animalcules contained in 
it, utterly inefficient for the purpose of impregnation. 
The examination was, of course frequently repeated, to 
make sure that this was the normal condition, and always 
with the same results. 

On the true state of affairs being made obvious to him 
he became unusually thoughtful, and evidently brooded 
over the matter most intensely. At last, he remarked, 
in a half abstracted manner, ''Well, it has always been 
my strongest desire that Maria (his wife), cr her children 
should inherit this property, and it shall be so, — if pos- 
sible ! So now, Doctor, what can be done? " 



340 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

I told him at once that I believed the case was hope- 
less, for the imperfection in his case was not the result of 
weakness, disease, or over-indulgence, such as can often 
be recovered from, but was evidently constitutional \ and 
I therefore could hold out no prospect of its removal. 
He made me the most liberal offers if I could succeed in 
making him capable, but I told him at once I could not 
deceive him. 

Soon after this they returned to Europe where the 
property lay, and I heard no more from them for four 
years, when one day the gentleman again called upon 
me, and after stating that they had been traveling for 
some time, requested me to call and see his wife, who 
was somewhat indisposed, and desirous of seeing me. 
On inquiring after his health, I found him just about the 
same as usual, only much stouter, as is often the case 
with such constitutions on approaching forty years of 
age. He was unusually cheerful, however, and on leav- 
ing, remarked, in a matter-of-course way, and with an 
evident effort to be unconcerned — "By-the by, Dr., ou7 
little one is not very well either, and I shall be much 
obliged if you will pay particular attention to him, for 
you know how much depends on his life ! " 

The announcement took me quite by surprise, and he 
probably saw by my look that it did so, for he at once 
apologized for not having told me of their good fortune 
before, knowing how I should be interested in it. " But," 
said he, "it is now three years old nearly, and I forgot 
that you had not been informed of the happy event. I 
of course made no remark, but paid my visit, and found 
the mother and child only a little inconvenienced by the 
journey and change of air. In a short time they were 
quite well again. 

A happier couple I have seldom seen than they were. 
The child was adored by both, and fortunately seemed 
likely to live to reward them for their care and affection. 

There was, however, a little awkwardness and restraint 
in their manner to me, and an evident avoidance of the 
subject of our first conference. Only on one occasion, 
just on the eve of his departure for Canada, did he allude 
to it. He then remarked, " Doctor, could any one else 
find out what you told me four years ago ? " " No, sir," 
said I, " only by the same means. " Oh, well," said he, 
** I am glad of that, though it's of no consequence now, 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 341 

because matters have turned out right at last you see, and 
Maria's property will not go to those who had no right to 
it." To this I replied not, and he went away. Six months 
after he died of apoplexy quite suddenly, to the great dis- 
tress of his wife, who was sincerely attached to him. Her 
grief in fact made her quite sick, and for some time her 
life was despaired of, but finally she recovered, apparently 
more from love to her child than from a desire to live on 
her own account. In fact her whole existence seemed 
devoted to her son, whom she watched with unremitting 
care. 

One day that he was somewhat indisposed, I was called 
to see him, and found with her an old female friend, one 
of those who always say whatever comes uppermost, 
without thinking of consequences. I had just assured the 
mother that nothing serious was the matter with the child, 
as indeed her family physician had stated just before, 
when the female friend, an old lady, remarked that the 
child had a thick neck, and " what a pity it would be if it 
took after its father, and was apoplectic ! " I could not 
forbear looking toward the mother, whose eyes met mine, 
and I saw at once that she detected my after-thought in 
a moment, when I gravely said I thought there was no 
danger / 

Some days after she requested to see me, on the eve of 
her final departure for Europe. A candid admission was 
made to me that my first judgment had not been invalid- 
ated by what had occurred. Suffice it to say, the husband ' 
had determined, with her concurrence, that a chila at 
least should inherit the coveted wealth, even if one of theirs 
could not, and hence they had secretly adopted one They 
had thought I might imagine a change had occurred in 
him, and that matters were perfectly natural, which was 
the reason why our first consultation was never referred 
to. The old lady's remark, however, and my manner of 
replying, showed the mother that I was not deceived, and 
hence the confession. Of course it was no concern of 
mine, and I could only assure the mother that the secret 
was perfectly safe. They had been, I fully believe, 
almost as happy as if really parents. 



On another occasion I had for a patient a married gen- 
tleman, but childless, who had unfortunately got en- 



342 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

tangled with an intriguing mistress who was perpetually 
extorting money from him. Being rich, however, this 
was not of serious moment, but at last the lady became 
pregnant, and in due time was safely delivered of a son. 
My patient was now informed that he must make ample 
provision for this new comer and its mother for life, or 
some very disagreeable disclosures should be made. I 
was not aware of this event till the child was ten months 
old. The gentleman then mentioned it to me to explain 
the great embarrassment and trouble under which he la- 
bored, and which was acting very prejudicially upon his 
health. I was then treating him for spermatorrhoea, 
which had begun to weaken his powers and to affect his 
mind. My microscopical examination had shown me that 
he was seminally imperfect, like the gentleman in the 
previous case, and I at once saw that he could not be the 
father of the young stranger. He, however, had no idea 
of this, and was really desirous of settling upon it a 
handsome annuity, but some unexpected embarrassments 
had made it difficult for him then to do so. Being my 
patient I considered it my duty to tell him the truth, to 
prevent his being imposed upon. He was both astoniched 
and indignant on learning this unexpected fact, and would 
at once have had a final, and not very friendly interview 
with the lady, but the fear of consequences deterred him. 

Now here was a terrible state of embarrassment for a 
man, with no apparent means of getting clear. He must 
either be plundered and imposed upon, to maintain the off- 
spring of another man, or he must be disgraced, and his 
domestic happiness destroyed by a disclosure of his own 
improper doings. What was to be done ? In his despair 
he was almost driven to suicide, but by degrees his mind 
was calmed, and I induced him to consider his predica- 
ment in a proper manner with a view to his extrication. 

After consideration I told him I thought I saw a means 
which mi^ht be successful, and though not called upon to 
do anything of the sort as a medical man, yet out of con- 
sideration tor an old and liberal patient, I consented to 
try. At my suggestion the lady was induced to visit mc 
as a patient, she being a little indisposed. I saw at once 
that she was a designing intriguante, but evidently not 
overburdened with information, and readily impressed 
by a confident manner of speaking. 

After attending with all due consideration to her own 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 343 

case, the conversation was gradually turned towards the 
gentleman her friend, who, I remarked, was one of those 
peculiar beings that medical men like myself occasionally 
met with, whose bodily imperfections would never be sus- 
pected ! This piqued her curiosity, as I intended it to do, 
and led her to inquire more closely what kind of imper- 
fections I alluded to ? The matter being thus entered 
upon, I at once told her, in an off-hand manner, that it 
was impossible for him ever to be a father ! The an- 
nouncement seemed to come upon her like a clap of thun- 
der, and for some time she remained silent. Finally, how- 
ever, putting on a show of offended dignity, she remarked 
that perhaps I was not aware of the relation in which the 
gentleman and herself stood? "Excuse me, madam," 
said I, "but I am aware of your liaison perfectly well." 
" Oh !" said she, " that is not what I mean ; you do not 
know then, it seems, that he is the father of my son, now 
ten months old T " No, madam," said I. " Nor can such 
be the case ; it is an utter impossibility / " 

This assertion brought on a perfect scene of rage and 
assumed grief at being suspected, but finally the tempest 
cooled down, and she began to talk more coolly. I told 
her that I had no wish to give offense, and was entirely 
ignorant that my friend was accused of being the parent 
till just now, and that in all probability she was deceived 
herself. Finally she seemed to change her tactics, doubt- 
less from a consciousness of being in the wrong, and at 
last asked me, with evident interest, if the peculiar im- 
perfections which I spoke of in the gentleman could be 
proved? I assured her it could be, and that if called upon 
in evidence I could readily prove it beyond a doubt. This 
put her completely to a nonpluss, and she went off quite 
crest fallen. 

At my suggestion the gentleman entirely discontinued 
his visits to her, and treated her in quite a cool manner, 
as if he no longer had any fear. This created a disposi- 
tion on her part to come to terms, and by the agency of 
a legal friend, who visited her for the purpose, and hinted 
something about a possible prosecution for attempted im- 
position, matters were finally arranged, and for a reason- 
able consideration she and the child went away, and my 
patient was relieved from his embarrassments. 



On another occasion I had a patient who died of con- 
sumption at the age of twenty-eight leaving a widow and 



344 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

a son aged three years. It had been what the French 
call a marriage de convenance, in which there was neither 
affection nor even respect on either side. 

This gentleman made one of those unjust wills by 
which his widow had the enjoyment of a handsome in- 
come for life, providing she never married again. The 
disposition of considerable property also depended on 
the life of the child being preserved till he became of age. 
Now the widow had no desire whatever for another mar- 
riage — probably from her experience of the first, — and 
was quite satisfied with her condition. She almost idol- 
ized her child, and devoted every moment to his care. 
He was perfectly robust, and no apprehension whatever 
crossed her mind in regard to his health till in his fifth 
year. She then visited a part of the country where lived the 
connections of her late husband, with whom she had never 
"been at all acquainted. The marriage had been altogether 
the work of so-called friends on both sides, and respect- 
ing the family or antecedents of her husband, she itnew 
very little previous to their union, and cared nothing 
about after. 

Being now, however, quite free from all restraint, and 
in the neighborhood, she naturally sought some further 
information respecting him that was gone. To her great 
consternation, she learnt that his whole family had always 
been noted for their tendency to Consumption. Very 
few of them were then left, the majority in every branch, 
having died quite young, and not one having been known 
to live over twenty-eight years, which was the age of her 
husband at his death. It was, in fact, generally called 
the doomed fa??iily, and an old nurse thoughtlessly remarked, 
as a matter of course, that little Charley, strong as he 
looked, would never see his thirtieth year, even if he 
passed childhood. The mother became at once almost 
frantic with despair. She looked upon her darling boy 
as doomed also, and thought with horror of the day when 
he would be taken away from her, perhaps when just 
bursting into manhood and promise. 

I have never seen a woman so entirely possessed by 
one idea as she was with this. She left the neighborhood 
at once where she had learnt this fatal news, and began 
revolving numerous plans to escape the threatened evil, 
but with no confidence in any of them. Finally, she came to 
me, to ask my advice as to the probable success of a re- 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 345 

moval to another part of the globe. Our consultation 
was, of course, confidential and full in every respect, be- 
cause I felt it necessary to arrive at the true cause of her 
evident terror and apprehension. I had previously been 
her medical adviser, as well as her husband's, whom I had 
also known before his marriage. 

Now, it so happened that he had consulted me immedi- 
ately after their marriage, in reference to his sexual pow- 
ers, which were rapidly failing, as I discovered from 
Urinary Spermatorrhoea. This was arrested, and he 
partially recovered, but only imperfectly. In the course 
of Microscopical examinations, I discovered that he was 
then totally impotent, there being but a very few animal- 
cules in his Semen, and all imperfect, though he had to a 
certain extent, the ordinary sexual powers. 

This fact I had intended to make known to him in or- 
der to explain better his real condition, and also why he 
had no family. To my surprise, however, he announced 
to me one day that his wife vtas pregnant ! Of course I 
did not then feel called upon to state what I knew, more 
especially as the expectation of an heir seemed to give 
him great pleasure. His health also was evidently fail- 
ing, and I expected his death from Consumption even 
before it occurred. This secret therefore was mine alone, 
and would have been buried with me, but for the present 
state of affairs. I knew that this man was not the father 
of the child whose mother was then suffering from such 
terrible apprehensions. I felt perfectly assured, in mak- 
ing the assertion I afterwards did, and I had no doubt 
but that my accusation would both be admitted and par- 
doned, for the sake of the consolation it would bring. I 
therefore said at once, in the most decided and emphattic 
manner, that the child was in no danger whatever from 

his cojinection with the family of the late Mr. / The 

way in which I said this evidently caused both surprise 
and interested attention, and in a somewhat confused 
manner she asked me to explain what I meant ? I then 
remarked without any comment, and as a matter merely 
of professional interest, that the boy was perfectly safe 

from that source, because it was impossible M could 

have been at that time his Father ? 

It is not necessary to attempt a description of the con- 
fusion, shame, and pretended anger which at first fol- 
lowed, Suffice it to say all this passed oft", and it **rg- 



346 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

ful humility, but with eager earnestness, I was asked if 
this was beyond doubt. I assured her it was so, and that 
her child ran no risk of inheriting the Consumptive fate 
of her late husband. Of course I could not say what risk 
he might run from his real father, because he was un- 
known to me. 

The peculiar mental condition of this woman, at this 
time was one of the most curious I had ever met with. 
Consternation at the discovery of what she had no doubt 
thought past discovery, and shame at thinking I had 
known it so long, was intermixed with real joy and 
thankfulness at the escape of her child. I of course as- 
sured her that the secret was as safe as if it really rested 
with her alone, and to me it had no other interest than a 
professional one, and would never have been disclosed 
even to her, but under such circumstances. 

Immediately afterwards she departed with her child for 
France, where she intended to bring him up away from 
all the associations of her own previous life. 



SOFTENING OF THE BRAIN. 

This is a much more frequent disease than most people 
have any idea of. It is the same disease, essentially, as 
that called Spinal Consumption, of which the old writers 
tell us so much* 

The causes of this justly dreaded disease were till lately 
unknown, or but vaguely suspected, and a variety of 
Theories were invented to account for it. Lately, how- 
ever, its connection with Sexual derangement, in many 
cases, has been established conclusively, and to make 
this clear, we must give a little Anatomical and Physio- 
logical explanation. 

The substance of the Brain and of the Nervous System 
generally, is essentially different, both in its structure 
and composition, from all the other parts of the body, 
and therefore it requires to be nutrified in a different way, 
and by different materiel from any other part. All the 
Vital Organs may be perfect, and the Muscular system 
well developed and supported, owing to the special nu- 
trition being complete, and yet the Nervous System may 
be in a state of decay. It is true, that decay of the Nerv- 



CONNECTION BETWEEN 



THE BRAIN AND THE SEXUAL ORGANS. 



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The two halves of the Brain are separated, to show they 
are distinct from each other, and to show their con- 
nection with the Sexual Centres. 
347 



348 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

ous System is soon followed by decay of all the other 
parts, but it may commence independently of any imper- 
fection in them, and even while they are as perfect as 
usual. 

The actual materiel, or substance, of the Nervous Sys- 
tem is almost identical with that of the Seminal fluid in 
Man, and the Ovcz in Woman. 

In all probability, the same vital effort which calls forth 
the Generative Elements also creates, at the same time, 
the Nervous substance. Whenever, therefore, the pro- 
duction, or nutrition, of the one is imperfect, so is that of 
the other. There is, therefore, not only a close sympathy, 
but a real coincidence of origin, and mutual dependence 
of existence, between these two most mysterious portions 
of our being. The Brain and the Sexual apparatus are 
placed at the opposite extremities of the body, like the 
two poles of a Galvanic Pile, each being connected with 
the Spinal marrow, which unites them. When one of 
these Poles is overcharged with vital power, the other is 
undercharged, and when one is exhausted the other is 
soon in the same condition. 

This explains at once why excessive mental exertion is 
often followed by sexual impotence, and why, on the 
contrary, sexual abuse so frequently destroys the intellect. 
Softening of the brain is caused by an actual deficiency 
of some of the substances composing it, and these sub- 
stances are precisely those that are carried off by the 
seminal discharge. When a man expends too much se- 
men, therefore, he does the same thing as if he really 
destroyed a portion of his brain, because he takes away 
that which is necessary to nutrify it. Nature will not 
produce enough of these substances to make brain and to 
allow of licentious indulgence at the same time. In this 
way arises softening, or chronic decay of the brain, a dis- 
ease which may be very slow in its progress, but every 
step of which weakens the intellect more and more, and 
which eventually causes either death or idiocy. 

It is not willful licentiousness alone, however, which 
leads to softening of the brain, but more frequently it 
arises from urinary spermatorrhoea. 

In treating softening of the brain, or the sexual diffi- 
culties from which it arises, it will readily be seen that 
quite a different course is required from that which is 
pursued in other diseases. It is not only necessary to 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 349 

arrest the nervous decay and seminal loss, but also to 
supply such substances as will make more new brain, or 
new generative elements, and this none of the ordinary 
medicaments will do. There are but few things in fact 
that are suitable for this purpose, and it requires an accu- 
rate knowledge of their real properties, and of the true 
chemical composition of the nervous and seminal matters 
to know how to properly combine and apply them. The 
ordinary cordials and invigorators are mere excitants, or 
stimulants as elsewhere explained, and only excite for a 
time the little nervous or generative matter that is left, 
but do not stop its decay, nor cause a new production 
of it. 

The condition of a person suffering from softening of 
the brain is, in the main, much like that of one suffering 
from confirmed spermatorrhoea, and it requires careful 
microscopical examinations to tell which of the two 
troubles is being experienced, or if both exist together. 
Usually, however, there is more mental imbecility in soft- 
ening of the brain, with a greater change of character. 
The patient feels that his mind is passing away. He can 
not think clearly, and has a sensation as if his head were 
really empty, and as if he would like every moment to 
close his eyes and go off ! There is no possibility of rous- 
ing a man in this state, nor of doing him good in any 
way, till the waste of the brain is arrested and the process 
of renovation recommences. 

Many patients remark, after their recovery, that they 
used literally to lose themselves, and forget who and where 
they were. One gentleman assured me that on waking 
in the morning he would frequently be half an hour or 
more before he could make out who he was, and what he 
should do. It would partly come in his mind and then 
go out again, till he got some stimulant, and then, for a 
time, he would gradually come round. The fact was, 
that his ideas were previously only half fo?'med and im- 
perfect, owing to the imperfect condition of his brain. 
He could no more think perfectly than a man can labor 
hard who has weakened muscles. 

§ NERVOUSNESS. 

It is scarcely necessary to remark that Nervousness is 
very general, and spoken of as something which all peo- 



350 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

pie are supposed to be acquainted with, but still it is 
something which no one can describe or define. The 
term nervous is applied to such a variety of bodily and 
mental derangements, combined so differently in different 
people, that it is scarcely possible to find two nervous 
people whose experience is the same. This, however, 
need not surprise us when we reflect upon the functions 
of the nervous system, and its associations with every 
part oi the organization. Itself the source of all organic 
power, upon which every part depends, and by which 
alone the whole is maintained in action, it cannot experi- 
ence the slightest derangement without affecting all that 
is dependent upon it. If the integrity of the brain and 
spinal marrow be impaired, we not only experience 
mental imbecility, or moral perversity, but derangements 
of the vital organs also, though in their structure they 
may be apparently as perfect as we could wish. 

Even a slight affection of the great nervous centres 
causes a sympathetic derangement of everything else, 
which is the reason why nervous people suffer from such 
a complication of symptoms, for without having a 
single organic disease they suffer the peculiar effects of 
almost every disease known. Once correct the vitiated 
condition of the nervous system in these cases, and all 
the symptoms vanish at once, so that the patient passes 
in a single day almost, from the extremest misery to well 
being and happiness. Uninformed people either ridicule 
such cases, or else attribute them to mere deception or 
wilfulness, but those who know their nature look upon 
them as among the most interesting that can be met with, 
and eminently deserving of true sympathy. 

A deranged condition of the nervous system arises 
either from actual decay or change in the nervous matter 
itself, as in softening of the brain, or else from sympa- 
thetic irritation, as in various derangements of the sexual 
organs. In fact the nervous system becomes deranged 
through the influence of other parts in nearly every in- 
stance, and seldom suffers from any disease originating 
within itself. In the majority of cases sexual derange- 
ment precedes or accompanies nervous derangement, and 
must be corrected before the nervousness can be over- 
come. 

In nervous females the womb or ovaries are affected, 
and in nervous men the testes or prostate gland, almost 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 351 

invariably, and to those who are acquainted with the 
physiology and connections of these different parts of our 
organization, this mutual action and reaction will be no 
mystery. 

The great misfortune of nervous people is, that they 
are seldom treated for the disease under which they really 
labor, but only for the secondary derangements to which it 
has given rise. The effects only being observed, while 
the cause remains unnoticed. For instance, a female will 
have chronic irritation of the womb or ovaries, giving 
rise to the most curious train of nervous derangements 
and symptoms, and will be treated with the utmost skill 
as a nervous patient without the slightest benefit, but once 
remove the ovarian or uterine irritation and the nervous- 
ness ceases at once. Numbers of men also lose their 
judgment and memory, and become wretched to the last 
degree from urinary loss of semen, which must be stop- 
ped before any assistance can be rendered to them. 

The intimate mutual relation of the Nervous and Sex- 
ual systems will be made more evident by an inspection 
of the Plate of the " A T ervous and Sexual Centres'* 

The Brain is composed of two perfectly distinct halves, 
either of which may act, or become diseased, without the 
concurrence of the other ; the same as either Testicle or 
Ovary may act perfectly, or become diseased, independ- 
ently of any action or affection of the other. 

The Testicles in the Male, and the Ovaries in the Fe- 
male, are precisely similar, both in their organic func- 
tions and in their sympathetic relations. In fact, they 
are identical in every respect, in the earlier stages of 
development. The Testicles are merely more fully de- 
veloped Ovaries, in the same way that all the Organs of 
the Male Generative system are more perfect develop- 
ments of corresponding parts in the female. 

The two Sexual Centres, and the two Nervous Centres, 
stand to each other in the relation of Electric Poles •, being 
Positive and Negative reciprocally. If an undue amount 
of power be concentrated, or expended in a Sexual Cen- 
tre, the opposing Nervous Centre must be proportiona- 
bly deficient in power, and on the contrary if the Nerv- 
ous Centre be overexcited, the opposing Sexual Centre 
must become torpid. 

All this is more fully explained in Dr. Hollick's Book, 
" The Nerves and the Nervous" 



352 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 1 

g PERFECT RECOVERY FROM IMPOTENCE, BROUGHT ON BY 
EXCESSES. 

In this case we have an example of a very large class, 
persons naturally of powerful Sexual Organizations, capa- 
ble, in the first vigor of virile power, of the most con- 
tinuous and exalted enjoyment, but from ignorance alone ', 
becoming dissipated^ debilitated, and impotent. It also 
shows that, in even the worst of such cases, it is gener- 
ally possible, by the use of proper remedies, to recover most 
of what had been lost, and to rejuvenate the Sexual Or- 
gans after their functions are thought to be entirely ex- 
tinct. 

The individual living at a distance communicated with 
me by the following letter. 



"My Dear Sir, 



To Dr. Hollick, 

" New York City, JV. Y. 



1 * A fortunate chance having thrown in my way your 
invaluable and unique Book on ' The Male Generative 
Organs,' I have determined to address you in regard to 
my case, feeling fully assured that if any mortal man can 
assist me it is you. 

44 Not to lose time, or to occupy you unnecessarily, I 
will make my statement as brief as possible. 

11 1 was born in affluent circumstances, well brought up 
and well educated, and at twenty-one years of age found 
myself the uncontrolled master of quite a respectable in- 
come, and in the enjoyment of a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. I had never been much addicted to 
the usual vice of young people, Masturbation, though 
constantly in the midst of it, neither had I ever been in- 
temperate, and at twenty-one I was healthy, full of ani- 
mal spirits, and capable of the most perfect physical en- 
joyment. About my eighteenth year, my sexual desires 
became very strong, but my position, and prudential con- 
siderations, prevented me from running into excesses. 
Besides this, I looked forward to my majority as a time 
when I could indulge as I should wish, without any con- 
trol, and thus repay myself for past restraint. 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 353 

" Had it not been for my guariian I should have mar- 
ried as soon as I was of age, and had I done so it would 
have saved me incredible suffering, and a broken-down 
constitution. He, however, dissuaded me from it from 
pecuniary motives, and ignorantly sacrificed my health 
and happiness to filthy lucre. 

$i I formed several attachments of an illicit character, 
and being led away by my powerful sexual propensities, 
I indulged to excess. How much, I need not perhaps 
specify, but suffice it to say, that till my twenty-fifth year 
it was almost my sole occupation, and till that period I 
felt no diminution of power. But soon afterwards my 
appetite for these indulgences began to lessen, and by de- 
grees my powers also. I had neither desire nor capabil- 
ity so often as before, and frequently for a considerable 
period would be totally indifferent. This falling off in 
my Sexual powers was also followed by a lassitude and 
debility, both bodily and mental, which unfitted me for 
any active exertion whatever. I became dull, listless, 
peevish, or morose, my appetite failed me, and all the 
symptoms of confirmed dyspepsia set in. My condition, 
in fact, became so bad that I consulted a physician, but 
only about my general health, for I dared not then speak 
on other matters. He gave me directions as to my diet, 
and directed some tonics, with cold bathing. These 
did me some good for a time, but I rapidly fell off again, 
and became worse than before, especially Sexually. In 
fact, I was nearlly Impotent, and in my despair I resorted 
to many of the Cordials and Antidotes which I saw adver- 
tised, in the hope that they would restore me. Some of 
them did stimulate me for a time, and I began to hope I 
was going to recover, but, alas, it was soon over, and I 
felt that I was worse than before, and that my general 
health had also been much injured by these remedies. 
I then gave up all hope nearly, and came to the melan- 
choly conclusion that I must drag out a short-lived, mis- 
erable existence in the best way I could. This has con- 
tinued till now, my twenty-ninth year, when a gleam of 
hope has been awakened by perusing your book. 

M Now, Doctor, I want you to deal candidly and honestly 
with me, and tell me plainly if a person in my situation 
has any prospect of recovery. I don't wish to be deceived, 
and would rather know the worst at once. 

" I will tell you plainly, I am as nearly Impotent as a 



354 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

man can be ; not being capable of Sexual communion 
more than once in two or three months, and that in the 
most imperfect manner, with no enjoyment, and scarcely 
with any Seminal flow at all. My Organs are wasted, 
and my desires for the other sex are almost extinct — in 
fact, I am becoming a woman hater! Of my state of 
mind I can scarcely trust myself to speak. Doctor, I am 
perhaps the most utterly wretched being that lives ! I 
sit and mope for hours together, with the most gloomy 
images crowding upon me, and black despair hovering 
over all. Fearful apprehensions constantly haunt me of 
some impending evil, and I distrust every one who comes 
near me. This I know is wrong ; but I can not help it ! 
A dark cloud seems constantly weighing upon me, and 
casting a gloom on all my thoughts. Reason I can not, 
for my judgment and memory are nearly gone, and my 
mind is not under my control. 

" Of my bodily sufferings I will not now speak, though 
they are severe enough, I can assure you. Suffice it to 
say here, that my system is thoroughly debilitated and 
run down, and that scarcely a single function is perfectly 
performed. 

" Doctor, I am a mere wreck, and I fear too much broken 
and shattered to be ever repaired. Perhaps I am only 
showing my imbecility by indulging even in a hope, but 
I could not resist the impulse to address you. Had I 
read your book, Doctor, when I was twenty-one, oh, 
what might I not have been ? It maddens me to think 
how terribly I have paid for my ignorance. But I must 
now stop. I have written this under the influence of 
stimulants, I confess it to my further shame, but I could 
not have made the effort without. The effect of the 
stimulant is now passing away, and oh the sinking which 
I feel coming on is horrible to think of, — but it is done. 
I have written to you, Doctor, and earnestly pray you 
will speedily reply. Tell me if it he. possible for me to be 
helped, I will not dare to say recovered, and if you will 
take me under your care. The expectation of your an- 
swer will somewhat buoy me up till I hear from you, — 
but what this answer may be I dare not even imagine. 
Write soon, Doctor, and let me know my doom. 
"Yours, despairingly, 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 355 

On the receipt of this letter, I at once wrote for him to 
come to see me, as I considered a personal interview de- 
sirable. On his arrival I certainly found as unpromising 
a case as could be well imagined, but still I did not de- 
spair, and without making any definite promise I agreed 
to advise him. 

In conjunction with appropriate general treatment, I 
commenced giving him the Aphrodisiac Remedy, and 
carefully watched the result. 

In a short time it became evident that he was recover- 
ing, and I gave him leave to return home, having first 
arranged to correspond with him regularly, and supply 
him with the medicine. 

In six months he was so much restored that no further 
treatment seemed called for, and I requested him to send 
me a full account of his condition at that time, to put on 
record, as a contrast to his first statement. The follow- 
ing is what I received : 

To Dr. Hollick, New York. 

" My Dear Sir: 

" According to your request I send you a report of my 
present situation, as I feel I ought to do, if it will be 
either useful or interesting, for there is nothing, it seems 
to me, which I can do for you but what gratitude calls on 
me to do. I merely request that if you make use of my 
letters it will be in such a way that no one who knows 
me can recognize them. 

"I am now, my dear sir, I verily believe, the happiest man 
living ! I am quite well in health, in every way, my 
mind is clear, my spirits buoyant, and my strength 
greater than I have ever known it before ! In fact, I am 
quite gay, and instead of moping at home, as I used to 
do, afraid to see any one, and thinking life a burden, I 
am constantly on foot, whistling or singing, as I used to 
do when a boy. My friends wonder what has happened, 
and can scarcely think it is really me. I dare not tell 
them the cause of my happy change, however, because it 
would expose the secret of my former misery, and that I 
could not bear. 

11 The greatest change, however, is in my sexual organs, 
whose functions I had thought lost. I am now nearly as 
powerful as ever I was, and am evidently gaining still, 



356 MISCELLANEOUS CASES* 

every day. In fact, I intend, if you think it proper, to 
marry, which at one time I never dared to look forward 
to ! It is now the dream of my life, and if you give me 
leave, it seems to me there is little else I can ask for. 
Please be plain on this point, and tell me candidly if I 
may, and how soon ? 

11 How evident it now is to me, as you explained, that all 
my other troubles arose from decay and derangement of 
my sexual organs. Immediately they began to improve 
and gain strength, I became better in every way, just in the 
same proportion. How silly the practice now seems 
of giving tonics and stimulants for the stomach or liver, 
to try and cure them, while the sole cause of all their dis- 
ease is left untouched. 

" In conclusion, my dear sir, I am a perfectly well man % 
and I firmly believe that your advice and medicine would 
make any one so. 

" May you enjoy as much happiness as I do. I can not 
wish you better — and may I be able to show myself as 
grateful to you as I ought and wish to be. 

** Yours, ever truly, 



Being satisfied that he might marry with propriety, I 
gave him leave to do so, and he is now the happy father 
of two healthy children, and younger by ten years than 
when I first saw him ! 

This case I have been more particular in describing in 
detail, because it is a good example of a large class that 
came under my care. 



RESUSCITATION OF THE SEXUAL POWER IN AN OLD MAN. 

This individual was aged sixty-six when he called on 
me, and had been for some three or four years almost en- 
tirely impotent. In fact, he had begun to think that his 
powers were really gone from age, and he scarcely ever 
thought of their being in any degree restored. His health 
was very good, and his years had evidently affected him 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 357 

but little in other ways, which made him sometimes won- 
der why he should fall off in this respect alone, and dis- 
posed him to ask my opinion. 

I told him without any hesitation that proper treatment 
would act favorably upon him, but I could not judge to 
what extent. He accordingly commenced following my 
advice, and in three months afterwards sent me the fol- 
lowing letter : 

To Dr. Hollick, 

New York City, N. Y. 
" My Dear Sir: 

M I wish you to send me a fresh supply of the Aphro- 
disiac Remedy. I still have some, but I wish to be sure 
of not getting short. 

41 In regard to the effect of your treatment, it has worked 
a real miracle ! I am almost as young, in one way at 
least, as I was at forty, and I assure you that were I not 
prudent, I might easily be led into some folly. What 
surprises me most, however, is my not suffering in any 
way from my indulgences. I was somewhat afraid when 
' my powers were first revived of using them, for fear it 
might do me an injury, but incredible as it may appear, I 
feel no ill-effects whatever afterwards. In fact, I feel less 
lassitude after sexual indulgence than I used to do, and 
it seems as if my organs were really stronger. 

" To say how much my happiness has been increased* 
and how much I feel indebted to you, is unnecessary. 

4 * Yours, truly, 



This old man I knew when he was past seventy-two, and 
there was then no indication of decay in his powers. I 
have known some instances of even older persons being 
much benefitted in a similar manner. 



barrenness in a female of thirty-six, cured. 

In many instances barrenness is caused simply by a 
torpid condition of the genital organs, which prevents the 
absorption of the seminal fluid. The lady referred to 



358 MISCELLANEOUS CA3E3. 

was an i nstance of this kind, and the result shows the 
power of the Aphrodisiac Remedy alone in such cases. 
Her husband had obtained some of the remedy from me 
without saying definitely for what purpose he wished it ; 
the letter will tell why. 

Dr. Hollick, New York. 
"Dear Sir: 

"You will recollect probably that I requested you, as a 
personal favor, to let me have some of your Aphrodisiac 
Remedy. I will now tell you what I wished it for, and 
what has resulted from its use. 

" I had been married nearly twelve years, and with no 
prospects of being blessed as a father, when I read your 
book, ' The Marriage Guide.' The perusal of that work 
led me to think that our childless condition was owing to 
my lady's extreme indiffere7ice, she having always been 
perfectly cold in her temperament, and I thought possibly 
your remedy might change this, and cause her to conceive. 
I accordingly procured some from you, and she agreed to 
take it. 

'* The effect has been as surprising as satisfacfory. I 
need only say that she is entirely changed in her te??ipera- 
ment, and is now, our doctor tells us, five months pregnant. 
for the first time ! 

14 If any one had told me before this that any remedy 
could effect such a change I should have laughed at them, 
but such is the fact, and I inform you of it, because I know 
it will both interest and please you, and because I think 
you are justly entitled to know what your remedy has 
done. 

" Yours truly, 



great loss of sexual power and severe nervous 
derangement in a merchant, cured. 

This gentleman, like a great many more of his class, 
had completely exhausted his nervous power by intense 
application to business. He had made his fortune and 
lost his health. The following is a part of the incoherent 
letter he first addressed me. 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 359 

To Dr. Hollick, New York, 

44 My Dear Sir: 

ci Will you be so kind as to tell me at once if you can 
do me any good ? I am a merchant, age forty -one. 
Good constitution naturally, fully grown, and formerly of 
excellent health. 

44 About seven years ago I began my present business, 
which required me to exert all my energies, and to apply 
myself unremittingly. For the first two or three years I 
held out well, but gradually my energy began to fail, my 
digestion became disordered, and I felt miserably weak, 
low-spirited and dejected. In fact, I became a perfect 
hypo, and had I not been blessed with a good and trust- 
worthy agent, my business must have utterly failed, for I 
could not, during half my time, pay proper attention to it. 

44 I found it utterly impossible to apply myself regular- 
ly or to stick to anything — my mind wandered away in 
spite of me, and the smallest forcing of attention to any- 
thing threw me into utter confusion, 

44 For the last two years this has been much worse, and 
now I have many bodily ailings too. I cannot sleep well, 
and wake in the morning with difficulty, and feeling as if 
I had been intoxicated the night before, which I never 
am. 

44 Besides all this, I find myself sexually impotent. My 
powers have been getting less for the last three years, 
and are now almost extinct. In fact, I have a repugnance 
to the association, and am utterly incapable either of giv- 
ing or of receiving enjoyment. 

44 Doctor, I can not say more ; this has required great 
effort, and I feel weary. Your experience will probably 
show you exactly how I am, in all that is not here told. 
Try what you can do for a wretched debilitated man, to 
whom money is no more than the dirt under his feet if he 
can but get well. Tell me at once if you can help me. 

44 Yours, &c, 



I made no hesitation in promising this gentleman that 
ae could be helped, providing he could fully relax from 
his business. This he did effectually by selling out and 
investing his money. 

He commenced at once using the Aphrodisiac Remedy 



£60 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

and observing proper rules of regimen and diet which I 
gave him. In two months he was a new man, and by the 
fourth month he wrote me a letter from the country of 
which the folowing is an abstract : 

.... " Doctor, I don't need you any longer now, 
nor do I think I ever shall again, if you will only let 
me always have some of that medicine by me. Don't think 
this ungenerous. I mean it to be complimentary. From 
the very first dose I felt it would cure me. It seemed to 
satisfy, as it were, my nervous system, like food does a 
hungry stomach. All my anxiety and apprehension left 
me. I felt calm, cheerful, able to apply myself, and dis- 
posed to be active. My mind cleared up as if the sun 
had suddenly broke in upon it, and I began to digest so 
heartily that I gained flesh rapidly. 

" My sexual powers also are fully restored ! I need say 
no more on this point, except to assure you that youf 
caution as to being temperate shall be faithfully observed, 
though I am free to confess it requires an effort now ! 



Note. — I do not wish it to be supposed that a similar 
result would follow in all apparently similar cases, by 
simply following the same course. In many instances 
there are other matters to be attended to, and other de- 
rangements to be corrected, before the remedy can act 
This was a case of simple seminal and nervous exhauS' 
tion, uncomplicated. 



CURE OF* SEXUAL IMPOTENCE AND INDIFFERENCE, IN CUBA. 

Some two years ago a gentleman from Cuba called upon 
me to see if I could render him any assistance. He was 
only thirty-five years old, but quite impotent, and alto- 
gether indifferent to the other sex. He had been origin- 
ally of an unusually warm temperament, and had indulged 
to excess, till his powers became so exhausted that he 
could do so no longer. His general healtn had held out 
pretty well, though latterly it had begun to fail, and he 
suffered from severe attacks of nervous depression. 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES, 361 

His desire for a restoration of his Sexual powers was 
so great that nothing seemed too dear to pay for it, — in- 
deed, he assured me he would not care to live as he was. 
Unfortunately, before I saw him, he had injured himself 
by taking a stimulating Cordial, which he saw advertised, 
and I had in the first place to overcome the ill-effects of 
that. I then commenced treating him, and in less than a 
month he experienced such evident indications of resto- 
ration that he arranged to return home, taking sufficient 
of the Aphrodisiac Remedy with him to perfect the cure. 

A short time after he sent me the following letter : 

To Dr. Hollick, New York, 
"Dear Doctor: 

" I send this by the Brig , just to say that I am 

now as good as ever, and am too busy enjoying myself to 
write much. You know I have much lost time to make 
up for. 

" I am afraid that in the exuberance of my new-born 
strength I shall be apt to need your services again. It 
is hard to restrain one's self when all seems to prompt 
to indulgence, in spite of your caution. To give you an 
idea of how I am now, I will give you an account of one 
of my adventures, 



REMARKABLE CASE OF IMPOTENCY AT NEW ORLEANS, 
CURED. 

This patient, like numerous other high-spirited and im- 
petuous young Southerners, had thoughtlessly delivered 
himself to unrestrained Sexual indulgences, till he had 
become completely exhausted and powerless. In this 
predicament he was strongly urged by his friends to 
marry, as a most advantageous opportunity of doing so 
presented itself, and they knew no reason why he should 
not. He was also extremely desirous of forming the 
union, the young lady and he having become ardently 
attached to each other, but, alas, his condition forbade it. 
He thus wrote to me in describing his case. 



362 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

. . . . "Sexual union is scarcely possible at all. 
At times I have imperfect indications of power, but they 
never come when I will them, and they disappear in 
spite of all my efforts to perpetuate them. Oh ! how 
mortified I have been at my vain attempts with females 
lately, and how wretched I have felt at the thoughts that 
it must always be so. Doctor, I can not live in this way 
— I don't care to do so. And then in regard to this pro- 
posed marriage, what can I do, what can I say, how can 
I possibly excuse myself ? Oh, Doctor, this is misery 
indeed, — help me, and name your reward." 



After being treated for six weeks he felt so far restored 
as to arrange for his marriage, and in three months from 
the time of his first consulting me, that event took place. 
He then wrote to me another letter, from which I extract 
the following : 

. . . . "All my fears are dissipated. I have no 
apprehensions as to the future, and feel myself in every 
way as capable as I could desire, and much more so than 
I deserve to be, perhaps. No failures have occurred, 
nor have I any reason to dread them in future. In fact, 
it is rather restraint that I need now." 



CURIOUS CASE OF LOSS OF SEXUAL POWER IN A MARRIED 
MAN, CURED 

This was one of those curious cases occasionally met 
-with, in which the Sexual power suddenly fails a man 
without any previous warning, and from no very obvious 
cause. 

The individual was forty years of age, had been mar- 
ried fifteen years, and had four children. His health was 
good, his habits regular, and his Sexual powers naturally 
quite strong. He had never been addicted to Sexual ex- 
cesses at any period of life, and had never felt symptoms 
of decay come on. 

All at once he found himself quite indifferent to the 
caresses of his partner, and quite incapable of sexual as- 
sociation. To use his own expression, " the parts seemed 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 303 

dead , and utterly refused to perform their office." His 
alarm and mortification at this unexpected occurrence 
may be conceived, and the most gloomy apprehensions 
took possession of his mind. He not only thought that 
his Sexual powers were totally and unaccountably gone, 
but he also feared that it was only the beginning of com- 
plete bodily decay, and visions of premature old age and 
death loomed fearfully before him. Matters were also 
made much worse by the fact of his partner being natu- 
rally of a warm temperament, and of course chagrined at 
his impotent condition. Under such circumstances un- 
pleasant surmises arose in her mind as to the cause of his 
indifference, which he was unable to dispel, and thus both 
were made wretched. 

In this condition he sought me, and I commenced the 
investigation of his case. From his statement however, 
I could discover no very obvious cause for his sudden 
deficiency, and therefore concluded that it arose from 
want of sufficient Seminal and Nervous Nutrition , brought 
about by some unusual combination of circumstances. 
The Aphrodisiac Remedy was therefore given to him, 
with proper general advice, and with full confidence on 
my part as to the result, though he felt sorrowfully du- 
bious. 

After the third day, he felt certain that his powers were 
returning, and in two weeks, to use his own remark, he 
was " a man again." It is now several years since this 
occurrence, and he still retains his usual vigor, though 
occasionally requiring a few doses of the Remedy, as he 
says, to keep him quite right." 

„ But for proper treatment, he would have remained 
perfectly impotent, and his general health would soon 
have decayed also. 



A CASE OF INVOLUNTARY AND INSTANTANEOUS SEMINAL 
EMISSION, WHICH HAD ALWAYS EXISTED, FULLY CURED. 

This individual was a perfect type of thousands of men 
that are daily to be met with. In his youth he had been 
much addicted tp masturbation, and in consequence, his 
sexual organs and sensibilities were so preternaturally 
irritable that sexual union was utterly impossible. He 
had a plentiful seminal secretion, but the slightest attempt 
at connection, or even thinking about it at times, brought 



3G4 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

on immediate emission, so that he was in reality powerless, 
and had always been so. He had taken, I believe, every 
cordial and tonic that was advertised, but all to no pur- 
pose, and scarcely a hope of relief seemed left. 

By some accident he fell in with the " Marriage Guide," 
and that induced him to seek me. 

Proper treatment soon stopped the involuntary emis- 
sions, but still any attempt at connection brought them 
on too soon, so that the act could not be consummated. For 
this trouble I gave him the Aphrodisiac Remedy, to nu- 
trify and tone the parts, and improve the quality of the 
seminal fluid. 

The most perfect success followed this course, and in a 
short time his powers of retention were perfect, so that he 
married, and is now a father. 

This trouble of too quick emission is very common, and 
is both annoying and hurtful, for it is sure eventually to 
bring on involuntary emission. 



HABITUAL AND SUDDEN CESSATION OF SEXUAL POWER 
CURED. 

This case was very curious, though not uncommon in 
certain degrees. The patient was as vigorous, and 
healthy, sexually as any man, and when alone his feelings, 
desires and the action of his organs were perfect, but 
always on attempting connection he became powerless, 
and without seminal loss ! Afterzvards he would become 
as perfect as he was before, but never could remain so at 
the proper time. 

After taking the Aphrodisiac Remedy for six weeks, 
with general treatment, his condition improved so much 
that for the first time in his life his powers were fully 
manifested. The trouble, however, had existed so long, 
and had become so fully established, that he is compelled 
even now to undergo treatment. 

Many men are troubled in this way, more or less, but I 
believe all may be completely relieved, unless too far ad- 
vanced in life. 



MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 365 

DISTRESSING CASE OF INABILITY AT THE TIME OF MAR- 
RIAGE, CURED. 

In this instance a young man found himself at the time 
of his marriage perfectly impotent, from inability to retain 
the seminal fluid — the emission occurring always ©n the 
instant of his making an attempt. His shame and despair 
may be imagined, and I verily believe that nothing saved 
him from committing suicide but the fact that he had read 
my book on the " Male Organs," and thought I could 
help him. 

I advised him to feign sickness for a time, as a reason 
for his situation, while he underwent proper treatment* 
This he did, and before two weeks the difficulty was over, 
and has never returned since. 

Besides those above described, and which are only 
specimens of hundreds which could be given of the same 
iinds, there are numerous others of a different charac- 
ter, and which can only be perfectly understood by per- 
sons acquainted with the physiology of generation. Those 
persons who have read my books will understand this at 
once, and perceive that these cases are the most interest- 
ing of all that can come under a physician's notice. 

There are some men impotent because their testes form 
no semen from having become torpid. Others form it, but 
of an imperfect kind, watery, and without animalcules-^ 
In some men again, there is a peculiar loss of nervous 
sensibility 'in the organs, owing to which there is no propet 
feeling, and though there may be desi?'e yet there is neither 
enjoyment nor efficient capability. 

In the same manner females are often sterile from 
causes but little known or suspected. The ovaries may 
De torpid the same as the male testes, and then they form 
no Ovce or eggs, and sometimes these are formed, but im- 
perfectly. In this case, they either cannot be impregnated 
or else they germinate into monstrosities, as shown else- 
where. 

In the greater part of such cases the Aphrodisiac Rem- 
edy, conjoined with proper treatment, usually effects a 
cure, unless there be virulent disease or organic defect. 

Numbers of childless couples who have called on me, 
have had their dearest wishes fulfilled, who otherwise 
would have had no hope whatever. In such cases, how- 
ever, it is necessary first to know in which party is the de- 



366 MISCELLANEOUS CASES. 

ficiency, and this can generally be ascertained by a care- 
ful consultation. 

The beneficial effects of proper treatment have also 
been equally apparent in numerous cases of the most 
distressing nervous debility and irritability ! In these 
the Aphrodisiac Remedy acts in the most beneficial man- 
ner, soothing the excitable, giving strength to the debili- 
tated, and new power to the imbecile. 

Many men, unable to attend to their business from 
nervous debility, have been completely cured in a very 
short time, and others have had their mental powers so 
much improved as to be much more capable than ever 
they were before. The common expression of these men 
after treatment is that their minds seem "to clear 
up," or "brighten," so that mental labor is a pleasure in- 
stead of a burden, and application does not distress them. 



DR HOLLICFS 

APHRODISIAC REMEDY, 

THE ONLY SURE AND RELIABLE AGENT 

FOR THE 

PERMANENT CUBE OP 
IMPOTENCE, STERILITY, 

AND 

NERVOUS AND SEXUAL DEBILITY, 

IN EVERY FORM ; 



BEING THE CELEBRATED REMEDY USED FOR SO MANY 
YEARS IN 

DR. HOLLICK'S EXTENSIVE PRACTICE, 

DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO SUCH CASES, AND 
NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME OFFERED 

TO THE 

PUBLIC. 



General Description of Aphrodisiacs, 

AND HISTORY OF 

Dr. Hollick's Aphrodisiac Remedies. 






Medical Remedies are classified and named according 
to the mode in which they act. Some affect one part of 
the system, and others affect other parts. Those which 
act upon the sexual organs, so as to preserve or restore 
their powers, are called Aphrodisiacs. Remedies of 
this kind have always been eagerly sought, and paid for 
at any price : even gold itself has not been more eagerly 
prized, and at this hour will be given in profusion for a 
good Aphrosidiac, though begrudged for anything else — 
for nothing does a man more crave than sexual power, 
and nothing does he more fear or regret to lose. 

Numerous remedies called Aphrodisiacs have been in 
use in different parts of the world for ages past, with 
more or less repute ; but their employment never resulted 
in much good, and often in much positive injury. It is 
the same at the present day — the greater part of such 
remedies now in use have no effect at all, and those 
which do act had better be left alone. This arises from 
the fact that they are administered only empirically, and 
without any knowledge of their true powers or of their 
variable effects under different circumstances. 

When I first began to use the common remedies of this 
kind, I found that they were, for the most part, only tra- 
ditional compounds, often dating back to the dark ages, 
and given merely because the physician did not know 
what else to give. Some of them, it is true, acted as pow- 
erful stimulants, giving them temporary power at the cost 
of future debility, but the greater part were either utterly 
inoperative, or else acted only on other parts of the sys* 
tern ; in short, they were not Aphrodisiacs ! 
368 



APHKODISIAC REMEDIES. 369 

I, therefore, set to work to investigate the whole sub- 
ject of man's sexual nature, and the action of all Aphro- 
disiac Remedies upon it for myself. For years I experi- 
mented with them, in thousands of eases, both simply 
and variously combined, carefully noting their effects, 
and thus by degrees finding out the true value of each, 
p.nd how and when to use it. No one else, I really be- 
lieve, ever went into this subject more thoroughly, or with 
more extensive opportunities for experiment and investi- 
gation. My lectures and my books made me so exten- 
sively known in connection with this subject, that cases 
of every kind came to me in abundance from all parts, 
and I was thus enabled to study practically what had 
been before only speculated upon. 

The result was, after endless trials, the formation of a 
compound possessing true Aprhodisiac powers ! which, 
when judiciously employed, invariably increases and 
maintains sexual power, or restores it when lost. This 
remedy, from its great success in all cases not past aid, of 
impotence, sterility, and natural deficiency became very 
celebrated, and my practice — which comprised only 
such cases — rapidly extended. Every day the demand 
for my Aphrodisiac increased, and I soon found a diffi- 
culty in procuring enough for my professional use, on ac- 
count of the limited supply and great cost of many of the 
ingredients. 

Many of the most powerful and reliable Aphrodisiacs 
are among the rarest of Nature's products, and are ob- 
tained only from the least known and most inaccessible 
parts of the world ; Musk, for instance, which is a pow- 
erful Aphrodisiac, and of which I use a large quantity, is 
always worth its weight in gold y and often much more. 
There are, however, other substances still more valuable, 
for which I have often given hundreds of dollars for a 
few grains. Some of these are natural and some artifi- 
cial products, obtained by chemical means, and which 
can be produced only at immense cost. The great power 
of most of these articles fortunately makes a small por- 
tion go a long way in use, or they could scarcely be em- 
ployed at all. In my remedy, there are altogether thirty- 
three different ingredients, and of some of them not more 
than the hundredth part of a grain can be used at a dose. 
Each of these ingredients has some peculiar power of 
its own, or is necessary to the full development of the 



370 APHRODISIAC REMEDIES. 

power of some other ingredient, so that the whole act to- 
gether in producing that wonderful effect for which this 
Remedy is so celebrated. 

At the same time, however, that it acts so energetically 
as an Aphrodisiac, it has no ill-effect in any other way, 
but is perfectly harmless to all parts of the system. 

It will be readily seen that such a remedy must neces- 
sarily be costly, and can never come into common use : 
it must, in fact, ever remain a special luxury for those 
who have been favored with Fortune's golden gifts, or 
for those who are willing to make great sacrifices. As a 
natural consequence, my constantly increasing demand 
for these rare articles made them still more scarce and 
dear, till finally, I began to fear that my supply would 
run short ; I, therefore, sent agents to all those parts 
from which they are obtained with instructions to regu- 
larly buy up, and pre-engage, all that could be procured. 
This, of course, took a long time to accomplish, and en- 
tailed an enormous expense, but it was the only sure 
course, and was crowned with success. A supply has 
thus been ensured, which enables me not only to pro- 
vide all my patients with sufficient, but also leaves a sur- 
plus, so that I can now prepare the Remedy for public 
sale, as I have constantly been importuned to do, but 
for the reason given was unable to do previously. 

In this way originated the Aphrodisiac Remedy, the 
most unique medicine perhaps ever compounded, and 
the most exceptional in its effects. No advertising or 
other means for disposing of it are necessary, for its 
value is so well known that the difficulty will rather be 
in supplying all who want it. Numbers of my patients 
always keep as much by them as I can spare to one per- 
son for fear of running short, and many of them would 
give thousands of dollars rather than run any risk of 
ever being without it. 

As regards the obtaining of this Remedy, or any sim- 
ilar one, I may as well remark here that no one else but 
myself can possibly supply it ! Not only because the 
proportions of the various articles comprising it, and the 
manner of combining them, is a secret only known to 
myself, but because fhe whole quantity produced of many 
of the most valuable articles, is in my hands, or secured 
to me alone, by always paying large sums in advance, so 
that no one else can obtain a grain. This I was com- 



APHRODISIAC REMEDIES. 371 

pelled to do in order to secure a sufficient supply, and to 
make sure that my patients would not be disappointed. 
Many of the artificial products are not made for public 
sale, and, to obtain them, I am obliged to purchase all 
that certain skillful chemists can produce, and at a rate, 
too, which offers inducement enough to them to keep up 
the manufacture for me alone ; besides this, some of the 
articles are made by myself, by a process which I have 
never disclosed. 

It is, therefore, impossible for any one else to supply 
an Aphrodisiac Remedy like this, because no one else 
can obtain the components, nor knows how to combine 
them. All other so-called Aphrodisiacs can be formed 
only of the more common and inefficient remedies, such 
as are to be found in most apothecaries' shops, but they 
in no respect resemble mine. 

The subtle and apparently mysterious way in which this 
Remedy operates surprises most people, and it is therefore 
necessary to give an explanation of its physiological 
action. Medical agents act in different ways, some as 
stimulants to particular parts of the body, some as altern- 
atives, and others again as special excitants of particular 
organs : thus some act on the bowels, some on the kid- 
neys, some on the heart, and others on the skin. A few 
act on the nervous system through the brain, like alcohol 
and opium. Usually, they excite in the first place, and 
afterwards act as sedatives, or stupify. The Indian Hemp 
or Haschischy is of this class, and usually forms one of 
the main ingredients in all common Exhilirants and 
Aphrodisiacs. It is a dangerous drug when so used, and 
utterly valueless, when used alone, for any such purpose, 
but when properly combined with other articles, it be- 
comes a valuable auxiliary. 

Woe to those who use it and opium for the purpose of 
intoxication ! Alcohol is harmless compared with them ! 

The true Aphrodisiac, as I compound it, acts upon the 
brain and nervous system, not as a stimulant, but as a 
tonic and nutritive agent, thus sustaining its power and 
the power of the sexual organs also, which is entirely de- 
pendent upon the nervous power. 

A man's sexual vigor represents merely his excess of ner- 
vous vigor. All the functions, both of body and mind, 
are carried on only by nervous power, which enables each 
organ to perform its peculiar function. The heart, 



372 



APHBODISIAC REMEDIES. 



stomach, lungs and every other organ, act only from the 
stimulus which the nerves bring to them from the brain 
and spinal marrow. Cut these nerves through and stop 
the supply, and they act no longer. 

Now, every man only possesses a certain amount of 
nervous power, which varies in quantity according to the 
health and natural vigor of his system ; if, therefore, too 
much of this power is employed in one of the functions, 
the others must run short, and, of course be imperfectly 
performed. Thus, if a man thinks too much, his brain 
uses up so much of his nervous power that he has not 
enough for other purposes, and some organs must act 
imperfectly. Most likely his sfojnach will be one of these, 
and then he becomes dyspeptic, or he may have heart dis- 
ease or liver complaint, or any of those numerous dis- 
eases which we commonly see — all of which spring origi- 
nally from impaired nervous action. 

An imperfectly acting stomach again re-acts on the 
whole system, because it prevents proper nutrition, and 
thus causes general weakness or debility. No act, how- 
ever, exhausts more of nervous power than the sexual 
act ! and this is why its too frequent performance is so 
terribly 'injurious, and why the votaries of Venus so fre- 
quently become debilitated, weak-minded and impotent. 

Whenever the system generally, or any particular part 
becomes debilitated, and performs its peculiar function 
imperfectly, we use some medicine to stimulate it or im- 
prove its action. Thus we employ various bitter tonics 
to help the stomach in dyspepsia, and use aphrodisiacs in 
sexual impotence. 

It has long been known, as a general truth that there is 
an intimate connection between the nervous and sexual 
systems, but it has hitherto been generally thought to be 
merely sympathetic. It is now known, however, that the 
composition of the nervous substance and the seminal fluid 
are almost identical, that in fact they are essentially nearly 
the same thing. It has also been ascertained that in all cases 
of severe nervous or mental derangement, the actual sub- 
sta?ice of the brain and nerves either wastes away or un- 
dergoes a destructive change. A.nd in the same way, in 
all cases of confirmed loss of sexual power, the seminal 
<mbstance either wastes or becomes destructively changed 
in a similar manner. But what is still more important, 
the destruction or injury of either one of these elements 



APHRODISIAC REMEDIES. 373 

of our systems brings on inevitably a similar evil to the 
other. Every man, therefore, who becomes impotent, is 
in imminent danger of becoming of weak intellect, and 
every one whose nervous substance is seriously impaired 
will almost certainly lose his sexual powers. The two 
are intimately dependent, the one on the other, and are 
affected for good or for evil, by the same external and 
internal causes. 

At the present time a number of causes are in constant 
operation on most men, exceedingly destructive both to 
their nervous and their sexual powers, causing an actual 
waste of brain and seminal substance, and entailing 
bodily suffering and mental deficiency to an unknown ex- 
tent. 

This has, of course, originated plenty of remedies as 
they are called, which are put forth as infallible by those 
who kuow nothing of the nature of these evils, and who 
care nothing for the effect which follows after the remedy 
is sold. 

In all such cases it is requisite, in the first instance, to 
arrest further change or waste, and then effect a restora- 
tion, if that be possible. To effect this renovation we must, 
of course, use such means as will really create new b-rain or 
seminal substance. The same as we create new muscle in 
cases of muscular weakness. That this can be done is un- 
doubted, for each portion of the organization assimulates 
those peculiar elements needed for its nutrition, and when 
we know what those elements are, and whence they can be 
obtained, we can supply them. It is not possible to nourish 
and renovate the nervous and sexual systems by the same 
elements alone that nourish and renovate the muscular 
system, though these are necessary as adjuncts ; there is 
needed in addition certain rare elements that are found 
only in the nervous and seminal substances and which 
can be supplied only by the special remedies, like the 
Aphrodisiac* 

For convenience, I have it so put up, in a dry form > air 
and water tight, that it can be kept uninjured, for any 
length of time, in any climate, and under any circum- 
stances. It can also be taken without the inconvenience 
of measuring, using liquids, or any other troublesome re- 
quirement, thus ensuring secrecy and facility of use, let a 
man be situated however he may. A gentleman can keep 
it in his vest pocket without any fear of detection from 



374 APHRODISIAC REMEDIES. 

pmell, or appearance. It will go anywhere by post, with 
perfect safety, and in such a form that no one through 
whose hands it passes would ever suspect its nature, or 
that it was anything peculiar f j 

There are no agents for it anywhere at present, nor will 
there be except they are specially mentioned in my books, 
so that it can only be obtained from me personally by ad- 
dressing through the post to " Doctor F. Hollick, New 
York, Box 3606." I do this to avoid trouble, and also to 
prevent counterfeiting which would be sure to be practiced 
if it were generally sold through agents. 

It is scarcely necessary for me to repeat that there is 
nothing whatever in this preparation that can be in any 
way hurtful under any circumstances. 

It is not a mere stimulant, or Injurious Excitant, 
acting only for the moment, but a true Nervine and Sex- 
ual Tonic and Renovator, producing new Nervous and 
Sexual material, when these have been wasted by excess^ 
abuse, or disease. 

Several of the articles which compose the Aphrodisiac 
Remedy, have been used from time immemorial, in a 
crude form, and separately, but no scientific combination 
of the whole was ever possible till now. 

The celebrated Dream Drug of the East, the Indian 
Hemp, is often used as an Aphrodisiac, and will some- 
times cause erotic dreams. This, however, is only occa- 
sional, and such an effect is always followed by unusual 
debility, terminating at last, if its use is continued, in 
complete sexual impotence. 

In the Harems of Turkey, a compound is used called 
in Arabic, "Love's Assistant!" It is composed of 
various stimulating spices, with opium and Musk, and 
has some power, when first used, but at last it eventually 
causes general weakness and decay both of body and 
mind. The late Sultan of Turkey used this compound 
till he was nearly an idiot ; and at last died from sheer 
exhaustion. 

In China they have a Pill somewhat similar to this, 
and which causes almost identically the same results. 
Some time ago this Chinese Remedy was brought to 
France, and sold in Paris under the name of Honneur 
DE LA Famille ! {Honor of the Family) this being its 
Chinese name, — the evil results from its use, however, 
soon caused it to be but little called for. 



APHRODISIAC REMEDim 375 

In some parts of Arabia and Africa, an Aphrodisiac has 
also been long employed, as we can see from allusions 
in old Chronicles, and in various Poems. Even in the 
Hebrew Scriptures the Mandrake is spoken of as being 
so used. The Hindoos have always been great lovers of 
Aphrodisiacs, and they possess some powerful ones, which 
however, they use without knowledge, and consequently 
derive buc little good from them, and much harm. 

All these articles, after much trouble, time, and ex- 
penses, I have obtained and analyzed, so as to know ex- 
actly what they were. 

The Aphrodisiac Remedy contains what is really good 
and effective in all of them, without any of their hurtful 
qualities. 

The Common Aphrodisiacs are merely compounds of 
Spanish flies j Opium , Strychnine, Arsenic ', Phosphorus and 
similar drugs ; most of them are rank poisons* 

Among other names used for Aphrodisiacs, by the 
Turks, Arabians, and Hindoos, we find the following. 
Parent of Pleasure I— Delight of Paradise ! — Fam- 
ily Multiplier ! — Youth Prolonger ! — Hope of the 
Aged ! — Brain Strengthener ! — Fountain of Power ! 
— Strength Giver !■ — and numerous others, all indicat- 
ing the same powers. All of these various articles there- 
fore, imperfect though they are, have still gained a repu- 
tation, and are eagerly sought. How much more valu- 
able, therefore, must be a compound which combines the 
excellences of all, without any hurtful qualities whatever I 

Although never advertised, and only known through 
the reports of those who had been restored by its use, 
the Aphrodisiac of Dr. Hollick has become known, and 
sought for in all the principal cities of Europe! Many 
persons of eminence have regularly obtained it, privately, 
and in more than one instance the wishes and hopes of 
married people of high rank, have been fulfilled through 
its means. 

Its fame has even readied Turkey, and in Constantino- 
ple itself, the Aphrodisiac is rapidly supplanting the hurt- 
ful and inefficient drugs formerly in use. 

No public announcement is needed therefore to sell the 
Aphrodisiac ', but only to let those persons know they can 
now have it who have so long been wishing for it in vain. 

In most ordinary cases of Sexual Debility, One package 
of the Aphrodisiac usually restores the virile power com- 



376 



APHBODISIAC BEMEDIES. 



pletely, and in all cases enough to show that entire res- 
toration is only a question of time. When the system is 
much run down, however, and the decay has existed for 
a long period, the remedy must be persisted in for a 
longer time, and several packages may be needed. Old 
persons, or those worn down by excesses, should take it 
regularly to prevent further decay, — and so should those 
who over-indulge to ward off the consequences of their in- 
discretion. 

If no sufficient restoration follows a fair trial of the 
Aphrodisiac Remedy it may safely be inferred, that there 
is either a natural imperfection, or some Organic Disease, 
most probably there is loss of sei7ien in the urine / In all 
such cases, the person should at once consult Dr. Hollick, 
for the purpose of having a thorough examination, and a 
full treatment till the difficulty is removed. 

Females who are Childless, cold in temperament, Nerv- 
ous, and sexually feeble, are as much benefited by the 
Remedy as males, and many a solitary hearth has been 
blessed with children through its use. 



For those who can not possibly visit Dr. Hollick, he 
will explain a simple mode of examination, by which 
the facts of the case can be fully ascertained, so that 
the patients at a distance can be treated by correspond- 
ence with perfect success. All Dr. Hollick's Medicines 
are put up in a form to go by post, without any risk 
of detection. Hundreds of patients are constantly being 
prescribed for in this way, with perfect success. 

HP" All letters are destroyed as soon as notes are 
taken of the case. 

The Aphrodisiac Remedy is put up in such a manner 
that it will go anywhere by Post like a letter, without any 
risk of Inspection or detectiott. It will also keep unhurt for 
any length of time, in aiiy climate and in any circumstances / 
It may be carried unobserved in the vest pocket, and re- 
quires no liquids, nor any measuring, or apparatus of any 
kind when taken ; being in a solid form, divided into grad- 
uated doses, and without smell or taste. 



APHRODISIAC REMEDIES. 



377 



PRICE FIVE DOLLARS PER PACKAGE. 

For which it will be sent free by post, to any address. 



' To Prevent Counterfeiting, and to make sure 
that no one can be imposed upon by pretenders, Dr. Hoi- 
lick does not sell his Remedy through agents (unless spec- 
ially mentioned in his publications), but it will be for- 
warded free through the post, to any address in any 
part of the United States. 

All orders for the Remedy must be addressed to 
D:r^ S\. HOLLICK,. 

Box 3606, New York City. 



DR. HOLLICK'S BOOKS. 



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382 



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from the microscopical, through all the inferior types up to Man. 
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all its wonderful varieties. The Human Parental System, male and 
female, is explained, anatomically and physiologically, and also em- 
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This larger work includes all the smaller ones, except the u Venereal 
Diseases" and " Nerves and Nervous," with much additional matter. 

One Royal Octavo Volume of about iooo pages, including 200 Illus- 
trations, and 40 full-page Colored Plates. 

PRICE, IN CLOTH BINDING, $5.00; SHEEP, 
$6.00 ; PULL RUSSIA, $6.50. 

This is the complete book so long promised, comprising all Dr. 
Hollick's experiments and investigations for over 30 years! It is a 
complete Cyclopaedia* of Generation and Reproduction. 

PUBLISHED BY 

EXCELSIOR PUBLISHING- HOUSE, 

29 & 31 Beekmak Street, 

P. O. Box 1144, gg£ NEW YORK. 



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